"He was pissed" - Major star thought Vince McMahon would fire him from WWE on the biggest day of his career
Former CEO of WWE, Vince McMahon was unpredictable at times, and superstars have certainly paid the price on occasion. Recently, Dave Bautista recalled the infamous Royal Rumble spot from 2005 and how he thought he was about to get fired from the company.
In 2005, one of the most memorable botches in the company's history happened in California when John Cena and Dave Bautista fell out of the ring at the same time at the end of the match. This led to Vince McMahon appearing and tearing his quads on the way to the ring, The Animal eventually won the match, as planned.
In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Dave Bautista recalled how he thought he was fired from WWE on the biggest day of his career, as he didn't even make it to the show on time. He added that the botch was also another reason behind him believing that his time with the sports entertainment giant was over.
"The whole day I thought I was getting fired. The whole day was a nightmare. I knew I was winning. I was really late to the show. I knew I was supposed to go over that night and it was a big deal going to WrestleMania. And, Vince [McMahon] thought I was being super disrespectful by showing up late. He was pissed and I thought he was going to change his mind and change the whole storyline," Batista said.
He added:
"I totally take the blame for it 'cause I went over. I knew what the finish was and I just went over. And, thank god we landed the way we did at the same time. It was a miracle. When I saw Vince [McMahon] coming down, I'm getting fired. Throughout my career, especially OVW, I always thought any day now, I'm getting fired. I was just so happy to be there," Batista said. (From 32:30 to 33:45)
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Batista clears the air on alleged real-life heat with 16-time WWE World Champion
The 2005 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view was a remarkable event for both John Cena and Batista's careers, as they went on to WrestleMania 21 and became the respective faces of their brands with the two world titles. However, many believed the stars were not on good terms.
In the same interview, The Animal cleared the air and stated they have no real-life issues or rivalry. The 55-year-old star spoke highly of The Leader of Cenation and his contributions to WWE and the industry over the past two decades.
Batista is done with wrestling, and John Cena's gearing up for his retirement tour starting in January 2025.
If you use any quotes from the article, please credit Chris Van Vliet and provide an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.