"They didn't want me to come back" – When Triple H and Stephanie McMahon allegedly laughed at WWE legend's request to return

Triple H and Stephanie McMahon have been two of WWE's most important decision-makers over the last two decades. Back in 2014, Batista approached the power couple about possibly appearing at SummerSlam, and it is fair to say he did not like their response.

Batista, real name Dave Bautista, returned to WWE in January 2014 after a three-and-a-half-year absence. Following an underwhelming five-month run, he left the company in June 2014 to promote Guardians of the Galaxy.

In a 2017 interview with Daily Dead, the 53-year-old revealed he was keen to wrestle again at SummerSlam. He pitched the idea to Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, who apparently shot the suggestion down immediately:

"I said to them, because I wanted to come back for SummerSlam, 'Wouldn't it be great if I came back right when I'm also in the biggest film in the world?'" Batista said. "Literally, it was Hunter [Triple H] and Stephanie who laughed at me, and Hunter goes, 'We don't even know if it's going to be any good.' I swear to God."

A look at @DaveBautista's #WWEHOF-worthy career stats.

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Guardians of the Galaxy turned out to be the third highest-grossing film of 2014, but WWE did not capitalize on Batista's success:

"I wanted to go back for SummerSlam, and they didn't want me to come back," he continued. "I think because they thought it was such a failure, that run, and it wasn't a failure because of me."

Batista is viewed by many as one of the best wrestlers-turned-actors in Hollywood. He recently starred in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

When Batista was supposed to leave WWE

Although he wanted to portray a heel, WWE's higher-ups booked Batista as a babyface upon his return. Fans quickly turned against The Animal, leaving the company with little choice but to turn him into a bad guy.

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Batista's return was supposed to last until May 2014, but he stayed for another month because he was enjoying himself:

"I also think a lot of people thought that I really quit, that I really walked out, when in reality, I really stayed an extra month more than I was obligated to do just because I really wanted to be there. I felt like I finally hit my stride and I was so happy to be there again."

The highlight of Batista's 2014 return came when he headlined WrestleMania 30 against Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton. He also reunited with his Evolution stablemates Orton and Triple H to face The Shield at Extreme Rules and Payback.

Do you think Batista should have been allowed to wrestle at SummerSlam 2014? Let us know in the comments section below.