Batista Says He Tried To Talk The Undertaker Out Of Goldberg Match At WWE Super ShowDown
Batista recently spoke with GQ to promote his new "Stuber" movie that hit theaters today. Batista revealed that some of his friends in Hollywood were surprised this year when he returned for a match at WrestleMania 35 because they never knew he was a pro wrestler. The interviewer said he must have learned to really "play up" his intimidating presence coming from WWE.
"Oh yeah, way over the top," Batista said. "That is the stigma I was stuck with when I wanted to become a real actor. There was a point in my career where none of my social media contained anything that said WWE. I just wanted to completely remove myself from that world. Not because I was embarrassed or ashamed to have come from that world, but I needed people to lose that stereotype with me being a professional wrestler. Open their eyes, broaden their minds a little bit of who I could be. Then when I felt like I had finally established that respect, that credit, I started owning it. I had more than a few people when I went back for WrestleMania this year, more than a few of my peers in acting, who were surprised that I was ever a professional wrestler. They had no idea. To me, that's an accomplishment. That's a statement."
Batista reiterated recent comments on the No Holds Barred loss to Triple H being his last match, but he did say that he's told WWE he will go back and make appearances for them, and he would like to stay connected to the company.
"It was my last match," he said of WrestleMania 35. "I've told them I'll go back and do the show. I'll be a personality on the show. I love the company. I love the fans and I would like to stay connected to them. But as far as going back and have another wrestling match, it will never happen. I think it'll just never happen. I couldn't have ended my career any better than I did this year. It was something I fought very hard for. So for me to go back and wrestle again after all that would be taking a huge dump on my career. I just won't do it."
Batista also talked about the recent WWE Super ShowDown match between The Undertaker and WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg. Batista said he called Taker and tried to talk him out of the match. He also said he would not have traveled to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
"I called, man," he said. "I called 'Taker and said, "Is there any way I could change your mind?" He laughed, and I knew I couldn't change his mind. He said it sounded good when we first started talking about it. I only saw highlights which were, you know, low lights. It was not good. It's just bad circumstances all the way around.
"I feel like Taker's there for the right reasons. I think he's there because he still loves it. But I wish that they would utilize him in the right way. I think a novelty match with Goldberg is the wrong way. I just don't think it's good for anybody and especially it's not good for the fans. I wouldn't have gone to Saudi at all. I don't care who they would've booked me with. I just would not have gone.
"But I loved my final match at WrestleMania, with Hunter. The fans wanted to see two old guys go to war. That's what we did. That's the way the match was designed."