After being trained by WWE Hall of Famer Afa ‘The Wild Samoan,’ Dave Batista was signed by the WWE and sent to the OVW training facility. There he learned the fundamentals and became such a big name he was called up to the WWE in just a few months. Known as the ‘Deacon Bautista’ he was used as Revered D-Von’s muscle. After splitting with D-Von he ended up on the Raw brand and made his PPV debut against Kane at Armageddon 2002.

The following year Batista joined ‘Evolution,’ a group of four rebels led by Triple H and also featuring Ric Flair and Randy Orton. Batista made his first big splash by attacking Triple H’s arch enemy at the time, Bill Goldberg on Monday Night Raw. He followed that up by facing Shawn Michaels at Armageddon 2003 and ended up winning the World Tag Team Championship that very same night, along with Flair. The following year things started going sour for ‘Evolution.’ Randy Orton had been kicked out of the group at the demand of Triple H who believed he was taking his spotlight. Towards the end of the year some dissension started between Batista and ‘The Game.’ Batista had been loyal to Triple H for years yet he thought Triple H was taking advantage of him as his physical tools. The following year, despite Triple H trying to convince him otherwise, Batista entered the 2005 Royal Rumble and ended up winning it. This meant he had a World Title shot at WrestleMania 21 at any title he chooses. Triple H and Ric Flair tried to persuade him to take on the WWE Champion but Batista only had eyes for Triple H’s title- the World Heavyweight Championship. In an extraordinary turn of events Batista powerbombed Triple H through a table thus making his decision clear. The fans were now 100% behind ‘The Animal.’

Batista rolled into WrestleMania on a tremendous wave and managed to pull out the victory and the World Title. At the following months Backlash 2005 he managed to repeat the feat and it all came down to Vengeance 2005- Hell in a Cell. Most predicted it would be Triple H who would come out the victor as he had never lost in a Hell in a Cell match up to that point. However, in a performance of a lifetime it was Batista who picked up the win in a dramatic match-up for the ages.

As the final pick in the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery Batista sensationally moved over to SmackDown. Taking on number 1 contender John ‘Bradshaw’ Layfield at The Great American Bash 2005, Batista lost by disqualification but came back at SummerSlam 2005 by beating JBL in a No-Holds-Barred Match. He went on to face and beat Eddie Guerrero in a title match at No Mercy 2005 and was proving to be one of the most dominant World Heavyweight Champion’s of all time. Batista soon teamed up with Rey Mysterio and won the WWE Tag Team Championship on an episode of SmackDown. However, the joy was short lived as they soon lost the titles due to interference from Mark Henry. Soon after Henry injured Batista and ‘Big Dave’ was forced to relinquish his coveted title and had to take many months off to recuperate. In July of that year Batista returned and immediately went after his nemesis ‘The World’s Strongest Man.’ On Saturday Night’s Main Event the favour was returned and it was Mark Henry who walked out injured unable to compete for many months. In the mean time Batista engaged in a feud with loud-mouth Mr. Kennedy, taking him on at The Great American Bash 2006 and on other occasions on SmackDown.

Batista was hell bent on becoming World Heavyweight Champion again but first he had to dethrone champion, King Booker. After failing to do so at SummerSlam 2006, Batista earned his way into a title opportunity in the main event of Survivor Series 2006. And in the very same arena in which he had to surrender the title, Batista reclaimed the World Heavyweight Championship. Batista was the top guy on SmackDown and it seemed no-one was good enough to knock him off his perch. That was until the Undertaker won the Royal Rumble. That meant it was Batista vs. the Undertaker at WrestleMania 23, Title vs. winning streak. After a titanic battle between two of the biggest stars in all of WWE, it was ‘The Phenom’ that came out the winner. The following months saw one of the biggest feuds in WWE history. At Backlash 2007 they drew in a Last Man Standing Match and they drew again in a Steel Cage Match on SmackDown. Following this, the Undertaker was injured and had to take some time off. The champion in his absence was Edge so Batista continued his chase for the gold by taking on the new ‘Rated-R Champion.’ They battled at Judgment Day 2007, in a Steel Cage Match at One Night Stand 2007 and then at Vengeance 2007 Batista lost his apparent last opportunity at Edge’s gold. However, Edge wound up injured and the Great Khali ended up winning a Battle Royal to become the new champion.

At The Great American Bash 2007 it was Khali defending against Batista and Kane in a Triple Threat Match, and although Batista came up short he was granted a one-on-one title shot at SummerSlam 2007. Here, Khali got himself cheaply disqualified for using a steel chair but at Unforgiven 2007 he wasn’t so lucky because in a Triple Threat Match which also included Rey Mysterio, Batista won the title for the third time. The following month at No Mercy 2007 Batista entered the ‘Punjabi Prison Match’ but managed to escape before Khali thus retaining his World title. After the Undertaker’s return from injury things picked up where they left off with the two battling over the title at Cyber Sunday 2007. For the first time ever Batista beat the Undertaker after two devastating Batista Bombs. At Survivor Series 2007 the two battled in a Hell in a Cell Match and after an epic war Edge interfered and cost Undertaker the match and Batista retained. However his reign was soon to be over as with the help of some new allies Edge came in the back door and won the World Heavyweight Championship at Armageddon 2007 in a Triple Threat Match which also featured Undertaker and Batista.

The following year, after Shawn Michaels retired Batista’s role model Ric Flair, Batista took offense. The two then battled at Backlash 2008. However it was the more savvy and experienced Michaels who tricked Batista by faking an injury and thus picking up the win. Batista was angrier than ever and at One Night Stand 2008 he absolutely destroyed Michaels on route to a dominant win. After being drafted to the Raw brand in the 2008 WWE Draft Lottery, Batista was announced as having to face John Cena for the first time at SummerSlam 2008. In the weeks prior the two won and lost the World Tag Team Championship and when SummerSlam came and went it was Batista who was victorious. Batista has had a rollercoaster of a WWE career so far and there’s likely to be a long road yet.