Former WWE Diva on the time she forgot to shake Batista's hand
Dave Bautista, better known to wrestling fans as Batista, was one of WWE's most prominent stars in the 2000s. In a recent interview, former WWE Diva Lena Yada recalled how she accidentally ignored The Animal on one of her first days with the company.
Yada worked for WWE between November 2007 and November 2008 after previously competing in the Diva Search contest. The 45-year-old is best remembered for her appearances as a backstage interviewer and a valet for Layla and Victoria.
On Ring the Belle, Yada said she once forgot to shake Batista's hand when she arrived at a WWE event:
"I remember going through everybody and I wasn't able to get to everybody before I got called in for my first interview, and lo and behold, who did I forget? Batista. He's just waiting there on the sidelines. I'm like, 'Awesome.' I saw him kind of hovering, and when I was done, he was like, 'Hey, come here.' I was like, 'Uh-oh.'" [9:32 – 9:56]
Yada made her in-ring debut in a 16-woman tag team match on the November 3, 2008, episode of RAW. The Asian star's team won the 93-second bout, which turned out to be her only televised WWE match.
How Batista reacted to Lena Yada
The wrestler-turned-Hollywood movie star held several titles throughout his career, including the WWE Championship twice and World Heavyweight Championship four times.
Lena Yada feared Batista might react badly, but the WWE legend politely introduced himself instead:
"He was so kind. He goes, 'I noticed you going around and I look up, and here's a face I don't recognize, I don't see, and I find out from everyone you're new.' I said, 'I'm so sorry, I saw you talking to Michael and I didn't wanna interrupt, so I moved down and I got called into this.' He is so sweet and so lovely and so funny, and I really appreciate that moment because it could have gone south really fast." [9:59 – 10:30]
Yada received her release from WWE on November 10, 2008, a week after her first official match.
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Please credit Ring the Belle and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.