Former WWE star Batista recently stated that he could return to WWE after declaring his ‘schedule is open’ during the American actors’ union strike in Hollywood.
The 52-year-old had announced his retirement from the ring for a third time in 2019 following a No Holds Barred match against Triple H at Wrestlemania 35. He has not fought since, but the six-time world champion has hinted a comeback could be on the cards.
He told ET Canada:
”I had retired, yes. I had my retirement match against my mentor, my buddy, Triple H – it was perfect. But right now my schedule is open and if they [WWE] call me and have something in mind, a segment, a moment… sure we could do something.”
Batista originally retired from WWE in 2010, not long after dropping the WWE Championship to John Cena. He claimed that he ‘did not like the direction the company was going in’ having sustained a spinal injury during an ‘I Quit’ match against Cena.
The Washington-born wrestler returned for the first time in 2014. He was greeted with boos from the crowd though after the popular Daniel Bryan did not feature. The reaction surprised Batista, saying at the time:
”It was weird. It wasn’t like a normal response. It was almost like a personal attack. It had to do with factors that were not in my control, factors and things that were going on in the company with other people, stuff that really had nothing to do with me. To me, it was a little frustrating, a little confusing, and, you know, I don’t want to say I completely took it personal, but I did somewhat.”
Batista was defeated by Bryan at Wrestlemania XXX, and then decided to retire for a second time in May 2014 due to creative differences with WWE. However, he did return again in 2018 for one final storyline that saw him come head-to-head with his former Evolution team-mate Triple H. Batista was defeated at Wrestlemania 35 and retired again the next day.
