Batista Talks The Undertaker Being Intimidating, Eddie Guerrero's Talent, Having To Prove Himself
As noted, Batista will be returning to the WWE on this week's SmackDown 1000 for a reunion with Evolution. In a never-before-seen WWE interview, Batista talked about joining SmackDown as the World Heavyweight Champion, his friendship with Eddie Guerrero, and working with The Undertaker. Here are some of the highlights:
Coming to SmackDown as the champ:
"I was a little nervous, it was a really weird time for me in my career. It was the first time I was going to go out on my own and fend for myself. For awhile it was rough and I really had to prove myself. I feel like it's something I've done throughout my life. I'm always going somewhere and having to prove my worth, but after awhile I think Eddie Guerrero really helped me prove my worth in a big way."
His relationship with Eddie Guerrero and Eddie's talent in the ring:
"It's really hard for me to put into words how much Eddie meant to me. He supported me and really took the time to get to know me. He didn't listen to what everybody said. He lived in Tampa and I was in Tampa, so we traveled home together. The guy would talk to me about life and not just keep it all professional. Eddie took the time to get to know the man. He didn't care if I was the rookie, or the big muscle-head who was holding the title that was stealing his spot, he never thought like that for one second. He was too secure with himself.
"I think a lot of times Eddie's skill was overlooked, Eddie wasn't a large man in stature, but Eddie could work anybody. He could make you believe he was hurting anybody because he was so tenacious and vicious, but he was so talented, his timing was so good, and he could read the crowd better than most people I've worked with in my life."
Wrestling against The Undertaker:
"When Undertaker decided he wanted to go, there was nobody who could do it better. He would always say for 15 minutes out of the day he was the baddest son of b—- on the planet, and I would back that up 100 percent. I mean, that dude can go. He's very intimidating, you know he's in charge, but it's also very comforting because this dude has just seen and done it all. It's almost like one of those things when you get in [the ring] with him you know you're going to have a good match."
You can see Batista's full comments in the video above.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit WWE with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.