The Goodness 11.28.06: Can He Still Draw?
Posted by on 11.28.2006
At this time two years ago, Batista was rising towards the main event and hailed as the next big thing. Today, is Batista still a superstar champion or lost potential?
Was there a pay-per-view Sunday night? I understand that I haven't been that excited about Survivor Series but what odd timing for a big pay-per-view the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Was wrestling on anybody's mind Sunday night? I know they moved away from the tradition of having it on Thanksgiving's eve, but what about the Sunday before the holiday? I had completely forgot the show was Sunday until I got to work Monday, checked out 411mania.com and saw a big picture of Batista holding the belt. Hey, but DX destroyed Edge & Orton again! I knew I should have plunked down those 40 bucks...
The Goodness 11.28.06: Can He Still Draw?
When I started writing for this website in the summer of 2004, the Goodness was not a column but basically just me riffing on Raw and SmackDown each week. I did it for a few months, had a great time but eventually moved to this format because work took its toll. I bring this up because it was during this period that Batista evolved (no pun intended) from the bland muscle of Evolution to its superstar-in-waiting. Almost overnight, Batista developed a personality both in and out of the ring. He wrestled guys like Benoit and Jericho and put on some darn good matches. They weren't five-star affairs but he entertained me. I even openly rooted for, and wrote about, the BATISTA SMASH~!, where he would enter a ring like Goldberg or the Ultimate Warrior and, duh, smashed everything in his path. The little kid mark in me got out and was thoroughly impressed.
As 2004 turned into 2005, it was just a matter of when Batista would eventually win the title. I remember New Year's Revolution that year, in which he was part of the Elimination Chamber, and the buyrate spiked upwards. The general feeling, one that I agree with, was that the fans had tuned in just in case Batista got his win. Smartly, the E waited until the night after the Royal Rumble to have Batista turn on Triple H and WrestleMania 21 was Batista's crowning. That match was actually pretty bad in its execution – it should have been a 10-minute BATISTA SMASH~! but instead featured Triple H on offense for 15 minutes while we waited for the inevitable smash. They figured it out by Vengeance and put on a great Hell in a Cell match. It seemed like Batista was on his way to greatness and most of us smarky types figure it was he, not Cena, who would lead the WWE into 2006.
But injuries are a fact of life but I don't remember an injury in the past ten years having such a profound effect on the overness of a wrestler. When Batista was injured, he was still far and away SmackDown's greatest asset and appeared to be on the verge of saving that show from the abyss it has currently devolved into. His in-ring work was just good enough to go with his look and his personality that he seemed like a true main eventer. Unlike Cena, there was no backlash from the male fans and his persona did not immediately turn into bland babyface territory when he won the belt. He was still Batista.
And he's still Batista, he still gets the biggest pop on SmackDown, but it feels like something is missing, doesn't? I'm not sure if it's a lack of quality opponents or that fans were just waiting for him to beat Booker for the belt. There was just something lacking for Batista. His matches have not been as crisp since he returned. Like I said, there's just something missing.
I bring this up because the rumor mill is spinning that one of the WrestleMania 23 main events will be Batista v. The Undertaker for the World Title. Now I'm not the biggest Undertaker fan in the world and there's no way in heck I want to see him main eventing a WrestleMania. But maybe part of my dissatisfaction with this match is Batista. Batista is not the type of main event star that can pull of a match with anyone and make it seem special. For all the good things the Undertaker has done in his career, he is a fading star well past his prime. Batista is being asked to carry this match and make it seem special when/if he defeats 'Taker to end this streak.
The WWE is going to find out in the next four months whether or not Batista can still draw. There has been a ton written about John Cena since WrestleMania but next to nothing about Batista in the past few months. Is that an indication that we as wrestling fans are happy with Batista or have we grown tired of him? No, it's the outright loathing some have for Cena. In fact, it could be something worse – indifference. Whether you love or hate Cena, you have some sort of reaction to him when he comes on the screen. I get the feeling – and this is by no means the truth, just my impression – that many fans have begun to shrug their shoulders when Batista enters the ring. Even the BATISTA SMASH~! has lost its luster.
The lead-in to WrestleMania will be very interesting as the WWE tries to restore Batista to where he was two years ago leading into WrestleMania 21. This time, though, there is no built-in feud with Triple H that had been simmering for months. They're going to have to open up their creative minds and give us something to make us care about Batista. Even if his opponent is not 'Taker, it will be up to Batista to make the best out of whatever is given to him and turn himself back into a star by WrestleMania time.
WrestleMania 23 will be held in front of more than 70,000 or so people in Detroit. How will a mass of wrestling fans react to Batista? On one hand, it could be a spectacular failure as a lukewarm reception would indicate a fanbase not on the Batista bandwagon. On the other hand, an Austin-like pop could signal that Batista's injury was merely a slight bump in the career of someone who may be an all-time wrestling great. Heavy stuff, no? We won't know the answer 'til then but it's something to keep an eye. And hopefully, we can get back to truly enjoying week after week with a BATISTA SMASH~!
