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WrestleMania: Batista Officially Announces Retirement After Loss To Triple H
Batista has officially retired from WWE in-ring competition following his loss to Triple H at WrestleMania XXXV. Batista made his shocking return to professional wrestling on an episode of Monday Night Raw where he attacked former tag team partner and mentor, Ric Flair. This led to Batista getting the attention of Triple H, who he has wanted to face in one last match for quite some time. The 6-time world champion turned major Hollywood actor finally got to leave on his own terms in a physical farewell match at WrestleMania.
These days moviegoers will recognize Batista as Drax the Destroyer from James Gunn's popular Guardian's of the Galaxy series. After leaving WWE for the second time in 2014, Batista ventured off to Hollywood just like John Cena and the Rock have done. However, Batista has always wanted to come back for one last match to leave WWE on his own terms. After teasing a potential bout against Triple H during an Evolution reunion on the 1000th episode of SmackDown last year, Batista returned earlier this year make the match official. Despite his in-ring success, The 6-time world champion and two time Royal Rumble winner has always felt that Triple H held him back from reaching his full potential. Now, Batista has officially retired from in-ring competition following his physical encounter with Triple H.
The two faced off in a No Holds Barred match at WrestleMania XXXV which resulted in "The Animal" Batista falling victim to "The Game" Triple H. The contest was very brutal from the start and the two veterans showed why they are two of the best to ever lace a pair of boots. Sadly, Batista didn't prevail over "The Game" and suffered defeat after Flair appeared at ringside to offer assistance to Triple H and distracted Batista, which led to Triple H hitting one last pedigree for the victory. After the match, Batista posted his official retirement message thanking fans for their support over the past 17 years. Check out Batista's farewell message below:
With his in-ring career now over, Batista can fully shift his focus to making a name for his self as a big-time movie star in Hollywood. He is currently set to reprise his role as Drax the Destroyer in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame, and he will return for the third entry in the Guardians of the Galaxy series, which is expected to begin production in 2021. And, while his No Holds Barred match was well executed and a fitting conclusion to his career, many fans hoped WWE would mention Batista's film success in detail and how management ignored Batista's interest in returning while building up to the match. Sadly, WWE danced around Batista's actual frustration's with Triple H but still allowed both men to go out to the squared circle and steal the show.
With Batista now retired, that leaves two out of the four Evolution members remaining as active in-ring competitors, Triple H and Randy Orton. Wrestling fans who grew up watching Batista will certainly miss seeing him compete in the ring, but moviegoers who have come to know him as Drax the Destroyer will have more to look forward to from the 6-time world champion and future Hall of Fame competitor. While the match was lacking in its build, WWE still gave Batista a brutal yet memorable in-ring send-off on the grandest stage of them all.
