Dave Batista has returned to the WWE in a poorly planned role before, and he didn't want the same thing to happen for his swan songs.
Batista's 2014 run started with him as an ill-fitted babyface, before he and the company changed course and went with him as a heel. To the contrary, Batista was a little bit hesitant to come back to WWE in 2018/2019 as a heel-ish foil to Triple H. When speaking to Pro Wrestling Sheet, the former WWE Champion broke down the decision.
?It was a weird spot to be in because I didn?t realize that Hunter had been getting so much love lately, and deservedly so for everything he had done with NXT. He was just getting a lot of love. He wasn?t the heel he?d always been. And then it got to the point where I just felt like people didn?t really care. They weren?t reading into the whole heel/babyface thing. They were reading into the nostalgic rivalry between us. And it was two guys that really just wanted to beat the hell out of each other. And they just wanted to see us beat the hell out of each other. So when I started kinda thinking more along those lines then it just became much easier. I mean, honestly, we?re both heels. People just wanted to see us go to war," said Batista.
Batista would announce his retirement shortly after the WrestleMania 35 program with Triple H culminated. Now in his 50s with an extremely successful acting career, it looks as if this is truly the last go around for the legendary Evolution member.
You can hear Batista's full conversation with Pro Wrestling Sheet at this link.