Update: Batista's Frustration & Status With WWE

In regards to some reports making the rounds recently about Batista's status with WWE, he did ask for time off after WrestleMania 24, but the company asked him to put if off because the roster was lacking depth at the time. More injuries have taken place since then and prevented him from taking the time off he had hoped for.

I've heard from a source that Batista seems to feel that he will never be in the spot he was three years ago when he was considered one of biggest "top guys" in the company after a strong feud with Triple H drew big business. He has explored options in Hollywood and realizes that at his age (believed to be 39) he is running out of time and can't handle a tough schedule much longer physically. His win over John Cena at SummerSlam was supposed to be a message to him as a vote of confidence, although he was openly critical of having such a short build-up for the match and feeling it should have been saved for WrestleMania instead.

Despite the current situation in WWE right now, he is still interested in taking some time off and many feel whatever noise he is making right now will get noticed without any sort of punishment considering his position. As an example, when someone like Carlito openly made similar remarks the reaction in WWE was to punish him instead. One source close to the situation has stated he would be shocked if Batista did decide to take time off right now as he is said to enjoy the lifestyle of being a star and getting attention. The belief is that he is making in excess of $2 million a year and taking time off for at least a year could cost him a lot of money if he plans to retire in the next few years. In general, it isn't believed any wrestler would be feeling economically secure enough to take a significant amount of time off with the current economic situation.