5 times the torch was passed in WWE matchesÂ
The world of WWE is all about creating stars that will catapult to the main event and stay there for years to come. WWE invests heavily in those that they feel will be the next Hulk Hogan or The Rock.
Stars who may eventually become somewhat bigger than WWE itself, whilst generating the company a lot of money along the way.
Sometimes, these things happen organically. On other occasions, it can be a constant TV barrage of a particular Superstar who is booked in a certain way to make us care about them more.
We often recognize when a certain Superstar is given the 'rocket strap.' There are defining moments in their career in which a passing of the torch moment occurs.
With that being said, let's take a look at 5 times the torch was passed in WWE matches.
#5. Triple H vs. Batista at WWE WrestleMania 21 for the World Heavyweight Championship
Before becoming an action film star, Batista was working his way through the ranks at WWE. Batista's career initially started with WWE's developmental brand, Ohio Valley Wrestling.
From there, there was an unsuccessful pairing with D-Von Dudley, before being hand picked by Triple H to form a brand new faction on Monday Night RAW called Evolution.
Evolution consisted of The Game, 'The Nature Boy' Ric Flair and another future main event superstar Randy Orton. The stable would go on to dominate RAW throughout 2003 and into 2004 before cracks began to show.
At the Royal Rumble in 2005, Batista won the Royal Rumble match, guaranteeing him a world title main event at WrestleMania. The problem was, Triple H was World Heavyweight Champion at the time, so surely Batista wouldn't choose to face him, right?
Well, he did. This became the start of Batista's rise to the top of the WWE. He beat Triple H at WrestleMania 21 to become World Heavyweight Champion, and continued the rivalry for the next few months.
After this, Batista was a star, and became one of the main faces leading the SmackDown roster for the years to come.
This was a true passing of the torch moment that was built up over a couple of years. It turned Batista into a global name and worldwide superstar.