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Dave Batista Reveals Why He Is Still Not in WWE Hall of Fame: ‘One Day, I Would Like To’
Dave Batista reveals why his initially scheduled WWE Hall of Fame induction was delayed after he retired from WWE. The Animal remains hopeful for his future induction.
After a stellar run in the WWE, Dave Batista decided to make his move to Hollywood. However, the Animal still made his return to have his retirement match in 2019. And ever since, Batista has been waiting for his well-earned induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. That said, the wrestler-turned-Hollywood star recently revealed why he has not received the honor yet.
The 6-time WWE World Champion wrestled his last match at WrestleMania 35 against Triple H in a No Holds Barred match. His retirement was kept a secret ahead of his last match. The following year, in 2020, Batista was scheduled for a Hall of Fame induction. However, the ceremony was postponed due to the global pandemic.
In 2021, WWE clubbed the inductions of both the 2020 and 2021 classes but Batista could not be available due to his Hollywood project. While speaking with Chris Van Vliet in a recent interview, Batista recalled missing a perfect opportunity for his Hall of Fame induction in Los Angeles, which was also where he won his first title in WWE.
According to Batista, he was busy filming a movie at the time in South Africa, making it logistically difficult for him to be available for the ceremony.
He told Vliet: “There was a good opportunity for me to go in a couple of years ago, and I agreed to do it. Hunter (Triple H) asked me to do it. And I said, ‘Yeah, of course.’ But it was here in LA, and I thought it was perfect. It was storybook because I won my first title here in LA. We couldn’t figure it out because I was working on a film I was in South Africa, so logistically, we just couldn’t make it happen.”
Furthermore, the two-time Royal Rumble winner then expressed his continued desire to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame soon, stating, “One day I would like to.” At this point, it is unknown when Batista will finally receive his honor. The WWE Universe clamored to see Batista’s induction in 2023 and 2024. He was not included in the induction, though, most likely because of his schedule.
Batista initially left the Stamford-based promotion in 2010 to pursue a career in Hollywood. He eventually made his comeback in 2014, winning the Royal Rumble match. Despite earning a spot in a World Championship match at WrestleMania 30 against Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton, Batista was unsuccessful, ultimately submitting to Bryan.
Also Read: Dave Batista Recalls WCW Asking Him to Leave; Said He Would Never Be a Wrestler
The Animal then reunited with the Evolution members to take on The Shield at Extreme Rules. After losing to The Shield, Batista dramatically quit WWE after being denied another World Championship shot by Triple H.
Nonetheless, Batista is currently busy promoting his upcoming Hollywood project, Killer’s Game. It will be interesting to see if Batista finally gets inducted into the 2025 class of the WWE Hall of Fame.
Read More: Batista Discusses Possibility of WWE Return Following Comebacks of The Rock and John Cena
