WWE Originally Upset with Reaction to Batista’s Return

When Batista made his return to WWE from a four-year absence on the Jan. 20 edition of “Monday Night Raw,” the crowd did not give “The Animal” that much of a pop. It was significantly less than the pop that Brock Lesnar received when he returned to WWE, and less than the thunderous cheers that Daniel Bryan receives on a regular basis. According to F4WOnline, at first, WWE was not too thrilled with the reaction Batista garnered.

However, the website is reporting that once WWE saw the ratings and viewership numbers for the episode, which were significantly high, WWE officials did not place any blame on Batista. Instead, they put the blame on the Dayton, Ohio crowd. The current backstage feeling is that the city will not receive a pay-per-view anytime soon.

With Dayton essentially receiving blame for how Batista’s return was received, one could imagine the punishment that Pittsburgh, Pa. would get for how it handled Batista’s Royal Rumble return. When Batista entered the Royal Rumble match, there were already a fair share of boos reigning down on “The Animal.” However, that wasn’t the worst of it as Batista was heavily booed after he eliminated Roman Reigns to win the Royal Rumble.

If Batista continues to receive these reactions, perhaps WWE will turn Batista heel before its original plan of turning him heel after WrestleMania XXX.