Triple H Says Batista Was The ‘MVP’ of Evolution, Praises His Work Ethic

In an interview with The Roommates Show (via Fightful), Triple H praised how hard Batista worked in his career and said that the Animal was the MVP of Evolution. In addition to Triple H and Batista, the group also included Randy Orton and Ric Flair. Triple H said:

“The MVP in Evolution is Batista. Ric was established. I was established. Randy was established coming out of the group, but as we were forming the group, and Ric and I are the ones that put that together, solely. We were the ones that picked Randy and Dave. A lot of people had kind of written Dave off as ‘he’s never going to make it.’ Ric and I were adamant about putting him in the group. As we started to do the group, everybody kept saying, ‘Randy is the breakout.’ I kept saying, ‘You guys are wrong. It’s going to be Dave.’ He was a sponge. He got it. You might not have known it at that time, but the level he put into it and how hard he worked, for me, he was the MVP.”

Batista Believes Triple H Being In Charge Is The Best Thing For WWE

Batista recently spoke with Comicbook.com about the new direction of WWE under Triple H. The former WWE Champion believes Triple H is the best man for the job.

On Triple H leading the company:

"I think this is the best thing for the company. It really is. It’s a personal thing with me because I know Triple H. I know how well he knows this business. I know how much he loves this business. As far as this business goes, he’s the smartest guy I’ve ever met in my life."

On how Triple H helped him:

"He made me who I was. He was responsible for my career. I’ve never been ashamed to say that. I think that he is so dedicated to this product and just wants the best for it. I think he’s absolutely the right person. I’ve never met anyone else who thinks the way he does, as far as wrestling goes."

WWE To Celebrate 20th Anniversary of Evolution This Week

WWE issued the following:

Twenty years ago this month, one of the most dominant factions in WWE history stormed onto the scene with the emergence of Evolution.

Led by Triple H, Evolution represented the best of the past, present and future of sports-entertainment in 2003, combining The Game and 16-time World Champion Ric Flair with two potent newcomers who’d go on to become legends in their own right, Batista and Randy Orton.

The group steamrolled competition on Raw during The Ruthless Aggression Era — at one point, all four members held championship gold simultaneously — all while flaunting their enviable lifestyle, whether it was designer clothing, luxury cars or a custom entrance song performed by Motörhead. After disbanding in 2005, Evolution reunited a handful of times throughout the years, most recently at SmackDown 1000 in 2018.

In celebration of the 20-year anniversary of Evolution’s formation, WWE social channels will be paying tribute to the groundbreaking faction all week long. Be on the lookout for classic full-length matches, a special Evolution-themed episode of WWE Playlist, rare photos and be sure to join the festivities by sharing your favorite memories of the group using hashtag #EvolutionWeek.

Batista And The nWo To Be Inducted Into The WWE Hall Of Fame

WWE announced that Batista and nWo members “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall™, Kevin Nash™ and Sean Waltman™ will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame at a ceremony on Thursday, April 2 at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, FL as part of WrestleMania® Week.

Batista is a six-time World Champion and a pop culture phenomenon. Throughout his illustrious career, “The Animal™” had memorable rivalries with some of the biggest names in WWE history including John Cena®, Triple H® and The Undertaker®. Batista is also a founding member of the revolutionary faction Evolution® alongside Ric Flair®, Triple H® and Randy Orton®. At WrestleMania this past April, Batista competed for the final time against Triple H. Outside the ring, Batista has successfully conquered Hollywood, appearing in Spectre, Stuber and Marvel’s blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers films.

One of the most innovative and controversial factions in sports entertainment history, the New World Order® (nWo) was led by “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman. The group captivated fans around the world and was crucial to the success of WCW® during the historic Monday Night Wars®. With an innovative style and attitude, the nWo participated in memorable rivalries against some of the biggest names in WCW history, including Sting, Diamond Dallas Page and Lex Luger.

“Batista was one of the fastest rising stars ever in WWE with an incredible list of accolades, and the success of the nWo changed the course of sports entertainment history,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative. “It is only fitting that they all take their rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame.”

Tickets for the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony are available this Friday, December 13 at 12 Noon ET through all Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or at ReliaQuest Ticket Office at Amalie Arena. All tickets are subject to service charges and facility fees.

WrestleMania 36 takes place Sunday, April 5 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, FL and will stream live on WWE Network.

Major Stipulation Added to Triple H vs. Batista Match at WrestleMania 35

During tonight's edition of WWE Monday Night Raw, it was revealed that in addition to the No Holds Barred stipulation for the Triple H-Dave Batista match at WrestleMania 35, Triple H's in-ring career will also be on the line as well.

Ric Flair Talks Charlotte Losing the Womens Title, Randy Orton’s WWE Return, Batista’s Success, Triple H, His Run with Evolution and More

WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair recently spoke with Ted Gruber of Fansided.com and below are some interview highlights:

Evolution was based on the 4 Horseman in sense when it was introduced to the WWE in 2003. Looking back at that stable, was it something that the WWE needed at the time?

“It was an amazing time and I enjoyed every second of it. All the respect to Triple H who put us all together. It was a little more conservative than the 4 Horseman but equally just as fun. It was a great opportunity for me to have a good time, and I always do.

Randy is back and looks like a million dollars. Dave has a brand of his own that has taken off. And look at Hunter who is virtually running the company. I am proud of all three of them for improving their wrestling careers and other opportunities outside of the wrestling business.”

Your daughter recently dropped her Women’s Championship to Sasha Banks a couple of weeks ago. What does that mean to you after watching that match and seeing her passing on the title that she held for a very long time?

“She didn’t lose anything. She proved to everyone in the world that she is the greatest athlete in the WWE and the greatest women’s champion of all time. There’s no disgrace losing to Sasha. She had it for 307 days which is such a long time in a sport that is so very competitive. I’m so proud of her and she has such a positive attitude. She’s looking forward to the rematch and so am I.”

Batista On Arguing With Vince McMahon During Last WWE Run, Triple H And Stephanie Disrespecting Him

Recently on MLW Radio's Writers Room, Dave Bautista, also known as WWE's Batista, shared some insight into his most recent WWE run. According to 'The Animal', his time with the company in 2014 was a struggle from the start. Batista talked about some of the problems he faced during the stint. The six-time world champion claimed that he stayed with the company longer than originally planned during his 2014 run and he divulged why he did not return to WWE for SummerSlam 2014.

According to Batista, his 2014 WWE run was a struggle from the start as he did not share the same creative vision for his return as Vince McMahon.

"Right from before I went back, I was arguing with them. For one, Vince wanted me to come back as a babyface and I was like, 'it's not going to work, Vince. I'm a heel. [The fans] want me to be a heel. They like me as a heel. I'm a good heel!' He was like, 'no, they miss you. They love you.' And I was like, 'Vince, that's going to last for like two seconds.' And then, also, the first night I came back, they wanted me to come out and do this goofy thing with all these other people in the ring and I was like, 'it's my first night back! Give me five minutes alone, me and the fans. Let me just have the ring to myself for a night, my first night back.' And they didn't want to do that, so it was a real struggle from the very beginning."

Batista indicated that McMahon wanted to push him too hard. Also, Batista said that some fans blamed him for CM Punk's departure.

"I was just beating my head against a wall, struggling, fighting with them, arguing. Everyday I was standing outside of Vince's office waiting to talk to him." Batista recalled, "Vince just wanted to push me, shove me down their throats, as a babyface. It just got worse and worse and the more they shoved me down people's throats, the more they resented me for being there. And then, there was all this stuff with [CM] Punk leaving and somehow I was blamed for that. I don't know. It was just really odd. It just wasn't very good from the very beginning."

Interestingly, Batista claimed that he stayed with WWE longer than he originally planned because he was "unsatisfied" by his return.

"I was just starting to really break into my stride when I had to leave. And I had to leave. I stayed a month longer than I was supposed to because I just felt so unsatisfied by that return. It just broke my heart because I was thinking about for years going back. I missed it and I wanted to be there. So I was just starting to hit my stride and I literally had to leave because I just started promoting Guardians [of the Galaxy]."

Apparently, Batista wanted to return to WWE for SummerSlam (2014), but when he brought up the possibility of being with the company while also being in the number one film at the same time, he was disrespected by Stephanie McMahon and Triple H.

"When I left, and I haven't talked to a lot of people about this, and I don't care if they're pissed about me saying something, but I wanted to come back and do SummerSlam." Batista continued, "I wanted to come back around [the time of] the release of the film, around Guardians. And I said, 'wouldn't it be great if I was back and I was also in the number one movie in the world?' And they kind of had a snicker and there was, you know, 'yeah, well, we don't know if the movie's going to be that good.' And it was one of those moments. Literally, and I swear I'm not exaggerating. It was that and it was a very uncomfortable moment where I think they were just kind of doubting me and laughing in my face. And I was like, 'okay'. But it's not that I wanted to leave. I even wanted to come back. It's just that they're really difficult to work with and they're just not very flexible.

"If I ever went back it would be a lot different, a lot different for sure. For one, I'd make sure even before I went back that I knew what I was getting into and they had a plan and stuck to it and I'd hold them accountable for what they promised me. The last time, I really didn't and I'm really sorry about the way the whole thing went, man, still. I'm a little sour about it still."

Batista Says He Told Titus O'Neil To Request His WWE Release Following Suspension

It's no secret that Batista and Titus O'Neil are good friends, going back to before Titus got signed by WWE. Batista played a big role in Titus getting into the wrestling business.

Batista says he called Titus and told him to ask to be released from his WWE contract today. This comes after Titus was suspended for a reported 90 days due to unprofessional conduct. The incident that got him suspended was when Titus grabbed Vince McMahon in a "playful but physical" way at the end of the post-RAW Daniel Bryan retirement celebration.

When asked if he could call WWE and straighten the situation out, Batista replied on Twitter: "I did something better! I called @TitusONeilWWE and told him to ask to be released. #onelife"

As noted via Wrestling Observer Live, word backstage is that several WWE talents have "been riding the line" lately when it comes to following company rules. The feeling is that Vince suspended Titus to send a message to the roster, that he wants them to act professional and stop "messing around" so much.

More Triple H-Royal Rumble Stats

We noted before that Triple H set a new record with his Rumble win - the longest time between Rumble match victories as his last win came in 2002. Here are some other stats from the win:

* Triple H became the oldest winner of the Rumble at 46 years and 6 months old, with the exception of Vince McMahon, who won the Rumble at 53 in 1999

* He joins the list of two-time Rumble winners with Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Batista, John Cena and the only three-time winner, Steve Austin

* Triple H became the third-oldest world champion in WWE history, behind Vince at 54 in 1999 and Hulk Hogan at 48 in 2002

Batista Talks Joining Evolution, Triple H Thinking He Would Get Heat For It, Almost Being Replaced

During the second edition of his interview series on Talk is Jericho, Batista and host Chris Jericho discussed how Batista was almost replaced in Evolution, a move that would have changed wrestling forever.

Jericho and Batista were speaking about how much Randy Orton had changed over the past decade, and how instrumental Evolution was to both Orton and Batista himself. Jericho also noted that Orton had tried to start fights with him three or four times.

Batista says he was warned by Triple H ahead of forming Evolution that the two inexperienced starts would get a lot of heat for riding the coattails of Helmsley and Flair. An injury almost eliminated him from the stable altogether, as Mark Jindrak was slated to replace him.

"They were considering him replacing me when I was injured. Hunter wanted it to be the four of us, he was pretty adamant. He fought for us," Batista said of nearly being replaced.

"I get injured, and Randy (Orton) was back before I was and they wanted that fourth member," Batista said

Batista and Jericho spoke about how much the business had changed since Evolution, citing a change in Vince McMahon's demeanor. Part two of Batista's interview on Talk is Jericho can be found at this link.

Batista Talks Getting Fined 100K By WWE, Said He Knew That Things Would Never Be The Same

In the second installment of his recent appearance on Talk is Jericho, Batista and Jericho touched upon the fact that wrestlers occasionally butt heads with Vince McMahon, prompting a thorough discussion of an incident in 2008 when Batista was hit with a substantial fine by McMahon.

Jericho set up the tale, explaining that he was scheduled to go up against Batista in a cage match in Tampa, Florida with the understanding that he'd win the World Title back from Batista after having won the belt at Cyber Sunday the week before.

Batista added that he thought about in-ring storytelling in a relatively "old school" frame of mind, believing that if someone would, say, get hit over the head with a pipe, he'd be expected to bleed. Indeed, that was the agreed upon finish for the match, with Jericho garnering the win after belting Batista with a metal pipe he'd stashed atop the steel cage.

"This was a point where we weren't shedding blood any more," Batista recalled. "We were PG and that didn't make any sense to me. I just didn't want to hear that, especially when there's a title match involved."

Batista implied that he employed a blade to "shed a little blood for the business" and then added that he was also busted open "the hard way" during the match. Both men agreed that it was an exceptional match.

"I can't believe we had to deal with grief over that," said Batista.

Jericho then noted that as they came back through the curtain after the match, "there was a lot of yelling and screaming going on," ostensibly because Batista had bled during the match. He said Vince declined to discuss the matter in depth, indicating he'd address it the following week and decide on a punishment for both wrestlers. Jericho said he tried to discuss the issue with Vince in a subsequent phone call that lasted only 18 seconds and included Vince telling Jericho to "shut up" and "F off."

Batista picked up the story and said that the following Monday, Jericho and he met with McMahon and that Dean Malenko, who produced the match, and referee Mike Chioda were also present at the meeting. Vince apparently played the match back for them multiple times in slow motion and with footage from various angles to show the moment at which Batista had apparently initiated his own bloodletting. Jericho noted that he'd known through some conversations with Batista that Batista was looking to bleed in the match but he didn't know exactly what he had in mind.

"I knew we weren't supposed to do it…I knew I would get consequences but I thought I would get the consequences and I didn't think they'd be as harsh as they were," Batista said.

Jericho recalled that Vince contemplated firing Batista but felt like that would be the easy way out.

"Then he starts passing out fines," said Batista. "So my fine was $100,000…My heart dropped. I thought it would be like $25,000…When he said $100,000, I was just heartbroken. I literally think that he sucked the life out of me that day. I think that's the day that I knew things were never going to be the same."

He expressed some degree of lingering bitterness about the incident to this day, indicating that he felt Vince was unnecessarily heavy-handed in the situation.

"I did the right thing. It was good business," Batista added.

Despite having written about this story in one of his books, Jericho said he was very surprised to hear Batista's reflections on the incident because he'd never discussed the matter in detail with Jericho.

Jericho was only fined $5,000 by McMahon and Vince leveled the same fines against Malenko and Chioda. In addition to paying his own fine, Batista also paid the other fines.

Batista continued, stating that he felt like the PG Era was killing the art form of professional wrestling and that this contributed to his decision to leave WWE in 2010.

Batista Talks Not Being Happy With Latest WWE Return

Batista is Chris Jericho's guest on the latest episode of the Talk Is Jericho podcast, which you can listen to here. During the interview, Batista talked about his latest WWE run being "bad from the start."

"It was just bad from right off the bat," Batista admitted (props to MStarz for the transcription). "They said, 'We want you to come out and do this thing with Hunter and Steph and Randy,' and I was like, 'First night back and you can't give me five minutes in the ring by myself in front if the fans?

"I told them from the very beginning [making me a babyface] isn't going to work. They said, 'Nah, man. They love you. They love you. They miss you.' That's going to last for 30 seconds. I said, 'They want to hate me and I'm good at that.'"

Batista On WWE Retirement Plans, Acting Career, More

WWE Superstar Dave Batista recently spoke to The Mirror.

On his future retirement: “I kind of have my wish list of guys that I would like to work with, because I realize my career is not going to be that long if I do go back just because physically… realistically, I’m 45 years old now, how much longer can I continue…? You do take a beating in professional wrestling. But I love it. It’s not ‘will I go back?’, it’s ‘when will I go back?’. Hopefully it won’t be far too long. Triple H right now is the guy I really want to work with. I want to go back and that’s hopefully that’ll be my retirement program. Yeah, I’ll have my WrestleMania retirement match with Triple H.”

On wanting more diverse roles in acting: “That’s the thing, when I left WWE to pursue acting, that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to pursue acting, which has not been easy to do because I think people automatically want to slap this label on me, which is very frustrating. It is what it is, and I get it… [But] that’s what I’ve been in the pursuit of. More dialogue-driven roles, more character-driven [and] storyline-driven roles, the stuff that I’m a fan of. I definitely hope that Drax will open some doors for me.”

On taking on Shakespeare: “I know it sounds strange and I think unless you knew me very well, you wouldn’t get this… But I would love to do Shakespeare. My first acting lessons were Shakespeare. The first time I ever started working with a coach was doing scenes from Measure for Measure which were tough dramatic scenes. And then Taming of the Shrew, which required comedic timing. And that’s the kind of stuff I love. The thing I would struggle with Shakespeare is actually remembering all the dialogue because you have to be so precise. [But] that’s not out of my imagination at all. I can very easily see myself in pursuit of Shakespeare.”

Batista "Quits" WWE During Tonight's Raw Broadcast

During tonight's WWE Raw broadcast, Batista "quit" the company after Triple H wouldn't give him WWE World Heavyweight Title shot. Batista is finishing up with WWE to begin promotional work for his new film Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and is expected to return in time for SummerSlam.

Rumor Mill - Original WWE Payback Plans for Daniel Bryan, Batista Turns Down Match, Why He's Leaving

Batista isn't booked for any WWE shows after tomorrow's Extreme Rules pay-per-view. His last night for the time being is scheduled to be the pay-per-view or RAW on Monday night.

We knew that Batista would be taking some time off to promote Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy but nobody expected it to come this quick. Word is that WWE wanted to do Batista vs. Daniel Bryan for the WWE World Heavyweight Title at June's Payback pay-per-view but Batista turned it down. Batista felt that him losing to someone smaller than him, after he tapped out to him at WrestleMania XXX and right before he's going to appear in a big summer blockbuster movie, wouldn't be a good fit for him and would not be a good way for fans to remember him until he returns again.

The plan was for Batista to work through Payback and then take some time off but since he turned it down, he's finishing up early because it was said that WWE has nothing else for him. No word yet on what this means for Evolution. Batista is still expected back for SummerSlam.

Video: Ric Flair addresses Evolution and The Shield

Rumor Mill - WWE Reforming Former Stable To Take On The Shield?

The word going around backstage is that WWE will be reforming Evolution with Triple H, Randy Orton, and Dave Batista, at least for a short time, to take on The Shield. Ric Flair is not expected to return to the group but that could change.

If this does end up happening, look for a Shield vs. Evolution match to take place at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

source: wrestling observer

WrestleMania XXX Press Conference Set for NYC

WrestleMania Week officially kicks off with the WrestleMania 30 Press Conference, broadcast live on WWE Network this Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. ET from the Hard Rock Café in New York City. Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, Hulk Hogan, Batista, Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Alberto Del Rio, Mark Henry, Big Show, The Great Khali, Michael Cole and the cast of Total Divas will be appearing

Interview with Batista

Triple H Makes Big Announcement for WrestleMania XXX

Triple H announced on tonight's RAW that after he defeats Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania XXX, he will get the third spot in the Batista vs. Randy Orton match for the WWE World Heavyweight Title. Essentially, the winner of Bryan vs. Triple H will get a spot in the title match with Batista and Orton.