Current WWE Superstar opens up about training with Batista: "He gave me an opportunity"
Batista is still talked about among the WWE Universe today, as many would love to see him return to the squared circle. While it may not happen, fans of the former World Heavyweight Champion were sent into a frenzy online to see him and Titus O'Neil training in jiu-jitsu.
After being the top star of the Ruthless Aggression Era and a middling run in 2014, The Animal made a comeback for one last match against Triple H at WrestleMania 35. He remains retired from in-ring competition since 2019 but has found great success in Hollywood.
Speaking on WWE's The Bump, Titus O'Neil explained the photograph shared on social media recently with Batista:
"So, Dave [Batista] is obviously one of my best friends. He's been my best friend prior me getting into the WWE. He gave me an opportunity to try to learn jiu-jitsu, and so I went training with him, fell in love with it." [45:50-46:06]
Further elaborating on his workout, boxing, and jiu-jitsu routines, O'Neil was convinced that Batista is only doing it for him, as the latter barely gets time to lift weights himself owing to his busy schedule as a Hollywood actor.
When Batista opened up about getting "screwed over" by WWE in 2014 run
Batista left the company in 2010 as a despised heel, which many modern fans remember him for. When The Animal resurfaced on RAW in January 2014, although he was welcomed by fans, he was not as popular as he had been before.
During an interview with the Daily Dead, Batista revealed that there were plans for him to work a singles program with Bryan Danielson (fka Daniel Bryan), but he personally didn't feel it made sense with the ongoing Evolution vs. Shield storyline.
Furthermore, Batista remarked that fans turned on him through no fault of his own. The Animal also felt his booking was terrible at the time of return:
“It really s**ked. It didn’t have anything to do with me or anything, there was just a lot going on behind the scenes. It was the company, man. They really just screwed me over. I was banging my head against the wall every day. It’s one of those things, I wish people knew how hard I fought to be there and how hard I fought to just give them the best matches and performances that I could. But it was an everyday struggle dealing with the company. It was such a f***ing nightmare.”
The latest pic of The Animal!
#WWE #Batista pic.twitter.com/skuAFV7B0o
On October 16, 2018, the 1000th episode of WWE SmackDown, Batista returned to the Stamford-based promotion to ignite a WrestleMania storyline with Triple H. At the Show of Shows, The Game defeated him, and the latter announced that he was calling it a career.
Check out what a former WWE Champion had to say about a potential match between him and Batista here.
If you use the quote, please credit WWE's The Bump and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.