Published 21:27 IST, August 31st 2019
Batista snubbed: WWE leaves him out of Smackdown tribute video
Batista has expressed anger at WWE's Smackdown brand for ignoring him in a video which will premier from October during the show's 20th-anniversary celebrations
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Batista has been one of the most sought after superstars in WWE. Batista was a megastar for for WWE back in 2005 along with John Cena as the former was the World Heavyweight Champion on Smackdown while the latter was the WWE Champion on the red brand. Both the world champions Batista, as well as Cena, had a huge fan following back in their heydays. Dave Batista had quit WWE back in 2010. The Animal then made a comeback at the 2014 Royal Rumble where he defeated Daniel Bryan and won his second Rumble after 2005. Sadly, the crowd that had erupted on his return then booed him for beating their hero. Nonetheless, Batista's return did not last long as he parted ways with the WWE after a couple of months and his association as a full-time wrestler with the company came to an end. The 'Guardians of the Galaxy' star has now expressed his anger on WWE's Smackdown brand. A brand which was once upon a time was proud of this megastar.
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Batista angry with the new Smackdown commercial
Smackdown will be celebrating its 20th anniversary on October 4. From that day onwards Smackdown will officially drop 'Live' and will be known as 'Friday Night Smackdown' . The logo was unveiled by both WWE and Fox. The video featured superstars and divas including the likes of The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, The Undertaker, Randy Orton, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and her legendary father Ric Flair. However, there was no sign of the former World Heavyweight Champion Batista. This did not go down well with the ex-world champion and he expressed his anger at the blue brand. Taking to the micro-blogging site, Batista lashed out at Smackdown by asking whether they really did it on purpose. The former World Heavyweight Champion then said that he had zero respect for them.
READ: John Cena Has A Special Message For The WWE Family Ahead Of Summerslam 2019. Here's What He Said
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Read Batista's tweet here:
One fan came forward and requested him to calm down by saying that even the legendary superstars like Shawn Micheals, Bret Hart, and Hulk Hogan were not there. However, Batista replied that he was having a conversation with Smackdown and he was sure that they were capable of speaking for themselves. He then told the fan that he has been dismissed.
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Batista's association with Smackdown
Batista had started his WWE career with Smackdown in 2002 under the ring-name 'Deacon Batista'. The Animal was then drafted to the RAW brand later that year after which he assisted Ric Flair and became a part of 'Evolution' which was led by Triple H and also included Flair and Randy Orton. The group started breaking down when all the members were after the World Heavyweight Championship. Batista dealt a final blow to Evolution when he beat HHH at Wrestlemania 21 for the title. He was then drafted to Smackdown later in 2005 and it did wonders for the blue brand. Batista's tenure at Smackdown from 2005-2007 were his prime years.
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17:29 IST, August 31st 2019