WWE legend and now a leading Hollywood actor Dave Batista or Bautista would soon join the hallowed sphere of WWE Hall of Famers. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place every year in the lead up to WrestleMania. Next year, the biggest show of WWE calendar would take place in Tampa Bay Florida on April 5.
The Hall of Fame ceremony would be held on April 2 and Batista has been declared as the first person in the class of 2020 to be inducted into Hall of Fame. "Vince [McMahon] called me personally to ask me, I was just, I wasn't surprised, but I was pretty happy. It's a good feeling, it's a really great feeling," Batista told People.com, the website that broke the story.
Long Journey
He then added: "I don't think it's sunk in. I was thinking about it because I mean, it seems like a long journey, but it also feels like yesterday when I started my career. It also feels ... because I'm still working so much, it doesn't feel like an end of a journey.
"And I said that at WrestleMania last year: It's the end of my in-ring journey, but it's not the end of my journey with the WWE. I will always be connected with them, I'll always be affiliated with them, I hope that I will always have a good relationship with them. So, it doesn't really feel like an ending for me."
The expectation of Batista entering the Hall of Fame arose when he made a comeback to WWE earlier this year and demanded 'one last match', against Triple H. That match took place at WrestleMania and he lost. Since professional wrestling has a tradition of performers going out with a loss, it was clear that this was the last match for the man once dubbed 'The Animal'.
Soaring career
Batista's career in professional wrestling started soaring when he became a member of the wrestling stable 'Evolution' along with Triple H, Ric Flair and Randy Orton. His big push came when he won the 2005 Royal Rumble to become the no. 1 contender for the world title.
He was then shown as leaving Evolution and choosing Triple H as his opponent at WrestleMania 21. He won that match and became the World Heavyweight Champion for the first time. In the following years, the 50-year old was always among the top wrestlers in the circuit. It is clear that he would be the star of the Hall of Fame show in Tampa Bay next year.
