Will Dave Batista ever return to the WWE?

Dave Bautista hasn’t appeared on WWE programming since Wrestlemania 35, leaving fans to wonder if they’ll ever see Batista in the ring again.

At the onset of his WWE career, Batista was an instant star. He joined a legendary faction known as “Evolution,” consisting of Triple H, Ric Flair, and Randy Orton.

However, the group quickly broke up in 2005 after Batista announced his intentions to challenge Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania 21.

Batista won the strap from his former teammate, making it the first of six world title reigns in the WWE. “The Animal” is also one of only eight wrestlers to win the Royal Rumble twice.

Batista left the company multiple times during his career, but his latest departure has lasted nearly four years, leaving fans to wonder if he will ever return.

Contents

• Why did Batista leave the WWE?
• Did Batista have beef with John Cena?
• Why isn’t Batista in the WWE Hall of Fame?
• Will Batista ever return to the WWE?

Why did Batista leave the WWE?

Batista’s first departure from the WWE came in 2010 after reportedly saying he “didn’t like where the company was headed.“

Batista found his way back to the promotion in 2013 after getting the itch for another world title run, but fans quickly turned on him after he won the 2014 Royal Rumble over Daniel Bryan. “The Animal” quit the WWE again over “creative differences” later that year.

In 2019, Batista returned to professional wrestling yet again, citing an unresolved rivalry with Triple H as the core reason why. The two began a Wrestlemania 35 program soon after.

Following his No Holds Barred loss against Triple H, Batista retired again from the WWE. His 2019 departure had a sense of finality that the two previous retirements lacked.

Did Batista have beef with John Cena?

While some fans have questioned if John Cena played a role in Batista’s WWE departure, the long-time wrestling veteran has never confirmed it.

Fans point to the WWE’s choice to back Cena as the company’s “face of the franchise” as a reason for potential animosity between the two.

Ultimately, according to Batista himself, his reasons for leaving were less about Cena and more about the WWE entering its “PG” era.

Is Batista in the WWE Hall of Fame?

No. The WWE initially named Batista to its 2020 Hall of Fame class, but he was never officially inducted.

He has cited “work schedule conflicts” as one of the reasons he’s been unable to attend any of the subsequent Hall of Fame ceremonies.

The WWE recently revealed its 2024 inductees, but Batista’s name was nowhere to be found, leaving his passionate fan base waiting at least another year.

Will Dave Batista ever return to the WWE?

It’s unlikely Batista will ever appear in the ring again. He told Jimmy Fallon as much in 2023, claiming that his WWE exit was “perfect.”

In addition to his quotes from “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” Batista’s growing box office prowess in Hollywood is thought to be a factor in his unwillingness to return to professional wrestling.

However, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” star has retired three separate times from the WWE in the past. For the right match, a mutual partnership could make sense down the line.