It’s been six years since Batista last wrestled for the WWE, but will The Animal return to the WWE any time soon?
Nobody ever really retires in wrestling. Every person who has hung up their boots has answered the call one last time, coming back for one more match.
Batista did that in 2017, when he wrestled his former partner Triple H in a 30-minute, no-holds-barred match that put a neat bow on his incredible career.
But with his time with Marvel now over, could we see Batista return to the ring for one last match in the WWE?
Will Batista Return To WWE?
WWE fans have been hoping to see Batista back in the ring one last time, now that his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Sadly, Batista will not return to wrestling for the WWE.
During an interview on The Tonight Show, Batista revealed that he would never return to the WWE.
His last match was a bout with his friend Triple H at WrestleMania 34. He has shown zero interest in returning to the ring, and backed it up in this interview.
Speaking with Jimmy Fallon, Batista said that he would “never go back and tarnish” his last wrestling match, and likened it with leaving his character Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy.
In an interview on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Batista denied ever returning to WWE by saying:
“It’s the perfect exit. We all had those perfect character arcs and such a storybook ending,” Batista said. “I constantly relate it to the way I ended my wrestling career. I ended it on a storybook note. And I would never go back and tarnish that. And it’s the same with this.”
Batista Wants To Be Inducted Into The WWE Hall of Fame
Batista will return to the WWE for a Hall of Fame induction, but will not wrestle again in the WWE.
Batista has not been inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame yet. He was selected by WWE to be the headline act during the 2020 ceremony, but rejected the honour just weeks before the event was set to take place.
This was because of the COVID-19 pandemic forcing him to miss out on the event. The 2020 show was postponed until the following year where the 2020 and 2021 inductees would both accept their awards during the same show.
However, the speeches were much shorter and some were done via video call, like Jushin Liger and The Great Khali.
It also featured limited crowds, and restrictions were still in place for the event due to the pandemic.
Batista rejected his WWE Hall of Fame induction due to the ceremony being rescheduled for the following year. Being a busy actor in Hollywood, regularly appearing in a litany of movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he is very short on time and simply could not make the ceremony.
Not wanting to have his huge moment be done by video call or pre-recorded message, he instead opted to postpone his induction until a more suitable time becomes available.
He took to social media last year to explain why he’d been pulled from the ceremony, stating, “To the @WWEUniverse Unfortunately due to previous obligations I am unable to be a part of the
@WWE #HOF this year. By my request they have agreed to induct me at a future ceremony where I’ll be able to properly thank the fans and people who made my career possible 🙏 #DreamChaser”
To the @WWEUniverse Unfortunately due to previous obligations I am unable to be a part of the @WWE #HOF this year. By my request they have agreed to induct me at a future ceremony where I’ll be able to properly thank the fans and people who made my career possible🙏🏼 #DreamChaser— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) March 23, 2021
Batista was meant to be inducted again in 2023, but rejected the opportunity.
While he was hoping to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2023, it’s likely that 2024 will be the year Batista headlines his own class of the WWE Hall of Fame.