Batista’s ascent to superstardom in WWE can be attributed, in large part, to his riveting feud with Triple H. This captivating storyline propelled him into the limelight and firmly entrenched him in the World Heavyweight Championship picture for the next three years, especially. During this period, Batista found himself embroiled in an on-screen rivalry with none other than King Booker.
While fans were aware of their heated on-screen conflict, it is worth noting that the animosity between these two legendary stars extended beyond the realm of scripted entertainment. Booker T recently divulged a revealing anecdote about Batista during an interview on The Hall of Fame podcast, where he was conversing with Rob Van Dam.
The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion reminisced about a time when Melina Perez, a fellow wrestler, was subjected to the infamous Wrestler’s Court for her alleged “Diva-ism” behavior. In this intriguing behind-the-scenes trial, Booker T assumed the role of one of the prosecutors, with JBL serving as the lead prosecutor and Undertaker presiding as the judge. The outcome of the trial apparently did not sit well with Batista, and this further exacerbated the tensions between him and Booker T:
“We put Melina on trial for Diva-ism, it’s a crime. Wrestler’s court. I was one of the prosecutors, JBL was the lead prosecutor, and Undertaker was actually the judge,” Booker T revealed. “We put her on trial, two hours, and we convicted her. She was guilty. She was guilty as charged. [Then we] Got back to the States and Batista went on that trip, and I think he got a little hot about it.”
Booker T further disclosed that he warned Batista about the consequences if their paths were to cross outside the wrestling ring. However, it is worth noting that despite their mutual dislike, the Hall of Famer and The Animal eventually managed to bury the hatchet. In a remarkable turn of events, they found themselves engaged in a main event program during that period, which seemingly facilitated their reconciliation.
During the course of the aforementioned podcast, Booker T reaffirmed that any ill feelings between him and Batista have been resolved, emphasizing that it is all water under the bridge at this point. Nonetheless, in a lighthearted manner, when asked by Brad Gilmore what he would do if Dave Bautista (Batista) were present during the interview session, Booker T playfully responded, “I’d be whooping his a**.”
