In case you haven’t noticed, things haven’t gone exactly as planned for Dave Batista upon returning to the WWE. The Animal is reportedly unhappy and will be expediting an impending hiatus which may turn out to be permanent.
[adinserter block=”1″]Things are not going well between Big Dave and Vince McMahon. You may have been able to figure that out by the finish at Extreme Rules. Batista is taking his ball and going home which will disrupt WWE plans. This has not made Vince McMahon happy and we may be seeing the end of the line for Batista.
Dave Meltzer has the scoop and broke down all of the details in his latest F4WOnline.com podcast. According to Meltzer, Payback was booked to headline with Batista vs. Daniel Bryan for the WWE world title. There is one problem unfortunately and that is a big problem for the WWE. Big Dave isn’t interested in the match or any other match moving forward.
Meltzer reports that Batista is upset that plans did not materialize as laid out for him before returning to the company. In other words Batista was highly likely scheduled to win the WWE world title at WrestleMania and get a big push. Unfortunately timing wasn’t on Dave’s side and he just happened to return at the height of the Yes Movement. The WWE shifted gears and he isn’t happy.
Meltzer also reports that Batista is not happy with the money. Meltzer reports that there is a lot of locker room unrest lately about money. This was an issue I brought up months ago regarding the decision to put pay-per-views on the Network. How were the guys going to get paid? The headline guys like Batista did well off of PPV bonuses. Those bonuses are gone. I have heard some reports cite this as one of the big reasons CM Punk left as well.
Meltzer reports that there were negotiations throughout the day at Extreme Rules to get Dave to stay and work Payback against Bryan. Batista was scheduled to take a temporary leave in June, making him available for the match. Batista since decided to move that hiatus up, thus throwing off plans. The backup plan is Kane vs. Bryan in a Buried Alive Match which is why Kane sat up at the end of Extreme Rules.
Batista was always scheduled to come back. The report indicates that he may not and decide to stay away permanently. I would have to think that the finish of the Shield vs. Evolution match is indicative of Batista leaving this week. Batista would reportedly do a few more television tapings and then ride off into the sunset.
[adinserter block=”2″]It’s a shame because I thought Batista’s final run before leaving in 2010 was his best with the Cena feud. I think everyone misread the landscape and for some reason assumed that Batista would be welcomed back as a returning hero. I think his return was completely misplayed and he should have returned exactly where he left off with the heel/spotlight gimmick. Unfortunately that didn’t happen and what you wound up with is a run that has tarnished what was otherwise a pretty good legacy.
Things can always change and at the end of the day, money talks. I just can’t imagine them going to the Batista-Bryan match after pinning Batista at Extreme Rules. That said, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time recently someone was booked to lose a month before getting a title shot so who knows.
Update: The latest report is that he will stay for Payback but will be wrestling with Evolution against The Shield in a rematch and not against Daniel Bryan.
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