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 Only
a few short minutes ago, The WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dave
Batista stood in front of the thousands of crazed fans at WWE
“Vengeance!” a Pay-Per-View press conference, face to face with his
former mentor-turned-enemy Triple H. As fans cheered out his name, he
went through the now all-too-familiar routine on how “to be the man you
got to beat the man,” trash talking his opponent in the then upcoming
Hell in a Cell match to be held that Sunday in Las Vegas. “As you all
know, I’m not a big talker, so I’m going to keep this short,” he told
all of the screaming fans. “I’m not going to do a little rap for ya. I’m
not going to spout off about hell and the devil. But I do want to make
one thing very clear— the champ is here. The World Heavyweight Champion.
Triple H, 10-time World Heavyweight Champion, considered by many to be
the man,” he continued. “Until you beat him, you‘re nothing. I beat him
twice, and I‘m about to whoop his ass for the third time in the most
brutal match in our industry. The match that ends careers, possibly ends
lives. But I want to make one thing very clear and I want Triple H to
hear this— You are going to have to kill me to take this [holding up the
title belt].” As anyone who saw “Vengeance!” knows, Dave Batista is a
man of his word. After a brutal match involving everything from steel
chairs covered in barbwire to Triple H’s trademark sledgehammer, Batista
walked out of Hell in a Cell the World Heavyweight Champion while Triple
H was carried out with a cracked rib and gashes so severe he required 30
stitches. Although Batista is the only WWE Superstar to ever defeat
Triple H in a Hell in a Cell match, the outcome of “Vengeance!’s” main
event shouldn’t have been too surprising for anyone who’s followed
Batista’s career these last few months.
Since breaking away from Evolution in February, Batista has been
one of the hottest commodities in the WWE, both figuratively and
literally speaking— have you seen him in those tailor-made Everett Hall
suits? It should be illegal to look that good. Ever since Batista’s
become a headliner, ratings for everything from “WrestleMania 21” (where
he defeated Triple H to become the World Heavyweight Champ) to “RAW”
have skyrocketed. His licensed merchandise (ranging from T-shirts and
pendants to action figures and beach towels) has become so popular, the
WWE’s even created a shirt for his female fans— a feat accomplished by
very few WWE Superstars. But unlike some athletes or entertainers who
let their success go to their heads, Batista is as down-to-earth as one
can get. He’s a man of few words both onscreen and off, who is grateful
for this whirlwind that’s been his life these past few months. He’s
humbled by his family [which includes a 14-year-old daughter who Batista
says is “not impressed” by her famous father] and finds strength in his
wife, Angie, who has been fighting ovarian cancer for three years.
“We’ve actually been dealing with this, her illness, the cancer,
for years now,” Batista tells me in his soft-spoken “regular” voice.
“She’s gone in and out of remission, so it’s something I’ve dealt with
in the past when my schedule was less hectic. My wife is a very strong
woman. She’s one of those women who really didn’t want me to be around
much to see her sick. She would always schedule her chemo when I was at
work so I wouldn’t see her at her worst. So it’s something we’ve both as
a couple learned to deal with and struggled with. I don’t want to get
too somber here, but I tell ya, she’s a much stronger person than I’ll
ever be.”
Humble words from someone who just five days later would be hit
in the back with a barb wired steel chair. But despite being on the road
majority of the year, Batista is a family man who puts those he loves
first in his life. Following the press conference and our one-on-one
interview, The Animal, as he is sometimes referred to, was looking
forward to some much needed R&R time before Sunday’s big match…and for
once the WWE was going to give it to him. “Actually, believe it or not,
this week is going to be very light for me. I just have a little bit of
media to do, but other than that I have the whole week to rest and kind
of recuperate from the last few months,” he says. “The last few months
have been a whirlwind for me, taking on more responsibility in the
company as far as media and working day in and day out. When you’re on
top you have to consistently perform on a higher level, so it’s taken a
little bit of a toll on me.”
When asked how he plans on spending his rare few days off (the
Champ knew he had to use his time wisely— after “Vengeance!” and Monday
night’s tapings of “RAW” and “SmackDown!,” Batista was headed off to
South Korea and Japan with the other WWE Superstars for a slate of
Supershows) he answers, “I’m gonna stay in Vegas. It’s gonna be like a
little mini-vacation for us. My wife and youngest daughter— my
12-year-old— are here. I guess we’ll do the typical touristy things, get
out and see the sites. Probably do one of the helicopter rides. All I
have to do is a media thing on Friday [which included an on-air
interview with one local radio station and a fan lunch through another],
and other than that I’m gonna try and make it a little mini-vacation and
try to get to know my family again.” Although Batista laughs at this
last comment, sadly it’s not that far from the truth. A typical day in
the life of a WWE Superstar involves flying into one city during the
day, and sometimes flying out of it to another part of the country that
same night. “Just last week we did our typical weekend tour— a lot of
people don’t realize we tour Friday through Monday— so we did that ‘til
Monday night’s ‘RAW,”” he states.
“I got home on Tuesday and I flew out Wednesday to do media stuff
on Thursday in Phoenix. Had a media day there, then that same night I
flew out to Portland. The next day we did our show in Portland, then to
Boise, Idaho, back to Phoenix, did a TV show there, flew here last
night, doin’ the media stuff today, but finally this week I’ll have a
little time to rest.” And by a little time he means approximately 104
hours until the most grueling match of his career. Only four months ago
seeing Batista headline three Pay-Per-Views in a row with Triple H was
something fans were just dreaming of. Now it was a reality. And unlike
the short-lived Triple H/Randy Orton feud, Batista was living up to all
the hype and expectations— and no one could be less surprised by this
than Batista’s onscreen nemesis, Triple H.
“Dave Batista is definitely on the list," Triple H told UPBEAT in
late 2004 when I asked who he saw filling his shoes as the poster boy of
the WWE. "He has a lot of room to grow, and he's really funny in real
life, which you don't see on television.” Batista seems a little shocked
by Triple H’s comments out of character, but reflects on their
off-screen relationship with similar praise. “On a personal note, all
bad feelings aside, I couldn’t have respect for any people more than
those two (ex-Evolution teammates Triple H and Ric Flair)
professionally, and just as men in general. I don’t want to give away
too much of the magic— I’m shootin’ here— but I just have a lot of
respect for them. I’ve learned a lot. They really did take me under
their wings. They taught me the business, as well as in-ring skills, and
a lot about life and how to deal and cope with this industry. It’s not
for everyone— it’s really something you have to learn to deal with. You
have to learn to make the best of it cause you’re never home.
Relationships become a very big problem in our business really just
because we’re never home. Those are the things they taught me outside of
the ring, how to deal with, because you really have to learn these
things to be on top. To be able to deal with the day in and day out
struggles of being the champ.”
Of course, as many fans know, one of the biggest struggles
Batista has had as the World Heavyweight Champion is with his mic
skills, which seems only natural since fans who’ve followed his career
know he was always a shy kid. Even Batista admits to this being his one
fault, though it’s something he’s trying to work on. “We don’t have
training for mic skills, and I’ve never been a big talker to begin
with,” he states. “I’ve never gotten a chance to be on the mic until I
was on top, so it’s something I have no experience with. It’s something
that’s really kind of a day-to-day struggle for me. I was a very shy kid
and had really bad stage fright, so that’s definitely been a challenge
for me. But sure, you know, with time it will get a little better, but
I’ll never be as outspoken as say, The Rock or Hulk Hogan or even John
Cena. It’s just not my nature, it’s not my way. But in my own little
ways I’ll get my character across.”
So far that mentality has worked. Batista admits his popularity
has transcended the wrestling world, and just like The Rock and even
Triple H before him, Hollywood has been knocking on his door. But given
the fact that he’s not much of a talker, Batista hasn’t accepted any
projects outside of wrestling just yet. “I’ve been asked about movies a
lot, and I really have to be honest and say that I have absolutely no
interest in pursuing anything entertainment outside of wrestling,” he
states. “It’s just because this is what I’m passionate about. This is
why I do it. Anything else would be lackluster just because my heart
just wouldn’t be in it.”
 One
thing outside of wrestling Batista is passionate about, though, is
collecting lunchboxes, something even he doesn’t quite understand. “I’ve
gotten a lot of grief about that,” he says with a chuckle. “I’ve got
somewhere around 40 or 50, some much more valuable to me than others.
I’m real big on the superhero lunchboxes— just old vintage metal
lunchboxes. I don’t collect just anything, though. Just things that I
remember from childhood and also TV shows I watched and remember. Things
like that. Things that are a little sentimental. I don’t know why I took
a fancy to them, but it has become kind of a passion of mine. That and
my cars. I’m very big into cars now. Those are my two hobbies.”
Batista’s collection of lunchboxes includes an original 1967 Green
Hornet lunchbox with Bruce Lee on it and a Cheech and Chong lunchbox,
appropriately given to him by none other than WWE Superstar Rob Van Dam.
Batista calls the latter one of his most “prized possessions,” but of
course nothing is as near and dear to his heart as the WWE World
Heavyweight Championship Belt.
“Winning the belt was the highlight of my career. I don’t know if
I can put it into words. It’s something that’s indescribable, but it was
the highlight of my career. It was a storybook ending. I beat ‘the man’
at the Super Bowl of our industry.” And with Batista’s recent trade to “SmackDown!,”
Batista marks across the globe can only expect more amazing things to
come as he takes on a whole new roster of Superstars eager to put The
Animal to sleep. UB
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