Batista Celebrates 20 Years Since His WWE Debut, John Cena and Triple H Congratulate Him

By Connor Casey

Monday marked 20 years since Dave Bautista (Batista) made his WWE debut as Deacon Batista on an episode of SmackDown. To commemorate the moment, some of "The Animal's" greatest allies and rivals from over the years reached out to gratulate the former WWE Champion. John Cena wrote, "20yrs ago @DaveBautista began turning skeptics into believers. Crafting a remarkable legacy in @WWE and continues to amaze with his incredible work as an actor. He's outspoken, honest & 1 of the nicest, most giving people I've ever met. Happy 20yrs from an OWV classmate. Cheers!" That tweet got an endorsement from James Gunn, who directs Batista in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and Cena in Peacemaker. 

Triple H, who would bring Batista into the Evolution faction within a year of his arrival, wrote, "In the 20 years since @DaveBautista was first introduced to the @WWE Universe, he has never stopped growing and evolving. A main event player, multi-time champion and Hollywood star, one thing has stayed the same: he never stopped chasing his dreams. Congratulations Dave! #Proud." That post prompted a response from Batista, writing on Instagram, "This is everything. 🙏🏼@tripleh."

Another star to post a tribute was Titus O'Neil, a close friend of Batista's. He wrote, "My Friendship with @DaveBautista has been Very special to me and my Family for years. I've watched him excel in @WWE and in Hollywood & through both I've always seen Dave for what he truly is... A Brother to me, An Uncle to my kids and A GREAT HUMAN BEING!! Congrats on 20 years!!"

Batista's WWE career resulted in him becoming a six-time world champion and two-time WrestleMania main eventer. He officially retired following his No Holds Barred match with Triple H at WrestleMania 35 and was supposed to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2020. That ceremony had to be postponed and his induction has since been pushed back to a yet-to-be-announced date. He'll reportedly finally get the induction in Los Angeles ahead of WrestleMania 39 in 2023.

0comments
Start the Conversation

of