SmackDown's Animal, Batista, was out of action for almost six months. Batista was forced to relinquish his World Heavyweight Championship due to a serious triceps injury suffered at the hands of Mark Henry. But Batista is back on SmackDown. Look back at some of The Animal's greatest moments.
Feature Promo
The Animal is back
Batista wins World Championship - WrestleMania 21
On the grandest stage of them all, WrestleMania 21, the student defeated the master as Batista beat Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. Formerly friends in Evolution, these two Superstars soon became hated enemies and left it all in the ring when WrestleMania went Hollywood.
Batista defeats JBL - SummerSlam 2005
Ever since Batista made his SmackDown debut, his biggest rival was JBL. A former Champion himself, JBL was hell-bent on defeating Batista and becoming World Champion once again. This rivalry got so intense that their match at SummerSlam had to be a No Holds Barred Match. Batista was ultimately able to overcome JBL in this brutal match to retain the gold.
Batista defeats Cena in Overtime - Royal Rumble 2005
Batista and John Cena were two of the brightest stars in WWE at the beginning of 2005, so it was no wonder that they were the final two Superstars in the Royal Rumble that year. Both men went over the top and hit the floor at exactly the same time, so Mr. McMahon restarted the match, sending it into overtime. In the end, Batista eliminated Cena and went on to WrestleMania 21 to face Triple H for the World Championship.
Batista wins first Championship - Armageddon 2003
Evolution's Batista and Ric Flair were last minute participants in the Tag Team Turmoil Match at Armageddon 2003. The fresh duo made short work of the already exhausted Dudleys to win the gold. The win gave Batista his first-ever taste of WWE gold, and by the time Armageddon was over, each member of Evolution could be called a Champion.
Batista takes out Goldberg - RAW - Oct. 20, 2003
Batista shocked the world when he stormed the ring on Raw back in October 2003 and took out Goldberg. Triple H offered a hefty sum of money to anyone that could take out Goldberg. Not only did Batista answer the call and hit Goldberg with a Batista Bomb, but he then revealed that he was aligned with Evolution, making them stronger than ever.