Dave Bautista reveals getting ripped off by senior wrestlers in his rookie year in WWE

Dave Bautista recalls how he was made fun of during his initial run as "Devon Batista".

Dave Bautista reveals getting ripped off by senior wrestlers in his rookie year in WWE

Dave Bautista as Devon Batista(via Ringside Intel)

Dave Bautista was one of the most influential figures of the Ruthless Aggression era. However, his initial gimmick on the main roster was not what he had in mind. In 2002, the Animal transitioned from OVW to SmackDown. Recently, he detailed the behind-the-scenes story of his start.

First, Batista revealed that he spent almost every penny on buying a new suit. Moreover, he was not told how or why he was going to use it. “And as soon as I get there, they cut my sleeves,” recalled the legend. He explained his persona, “Devon Batista”, a bodyguard-type figure, to Reverend D-Von. 

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The former world champion had to wear a chain tied to a box while protecting his boss. “But this whole gimmick was really fun, and I loved working with D-Von,” he stated. Furthermore, he reminisced about traveling on the road to house shows and events where a few senior wrestlers had teased him.

Batista mentioned a hilarious occurrence during that time that involved him collecting money in the box. “We’d leave the arena every night with hundreds of bucks, which I never saw a dime of” he said while laughing. Finally, he mentioned being stressed while portraying the character, thinking he would soon get fired. This lasted only for a few months of his initial run. In 2003, Dave Bautista joined Evolution, and the rest is history.

Related: Dave Bautista reveals he had to borrow money from his wife for his WWE debut

Batista was nearly not going to join Evolution

Randy Orton, Ric Flair, Triple H and Dave Bautista(Evolution)
Randy Orton, Ric Flair, Triple H and Dave Bautista(via Twitter)

Evolution is one of the most decorated factions in WWE history. They were introduced to the fans in 2003. The group, comprising Triple H, Ric Flair, Randy Orton, and Batista, was set to dominate the business. However, one specific change was made before their on-screen debut.

Batista’s injury had him lost in the shuffle to join the faction. Mark Jindrak was considered to replace him. He even filmed a few vignettes with the group before their debut. Despite that, it was the game that saw him as unfit to represent Evolution as he thought Mark and Orton were too immature together.

Therefore, he pushed the idea of the Animal being the fourth member instead of him. For the next couple of years, they would go on to dominate each show they were on. Furthermore, this helped both Randy Orton and Batista easily climb the ladder to main event status.

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