Original WWE Payback Plans for Daniel Bryan and Batista

As we previously reported here at WrestlingRumors.net, Batista is set to take some time off immediately following the “WWE Extreme Rules” pay-per-view on Sunday. He will be traveling the globe promoting his Guardians of the Galaxy film, which is set for release this summer.

According to PWInsider.com, before management knew Batista needed to a take a leave of absence, the original plan was for him to challenge Daniel Bryan for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at “WWE Payback” on June 1.

Batista immediately turned that idea down. He felt it would be bad for him to lose to someone much smaller than him, having already tapped out to Bryan at WrestleMania XXX. It would be especially bad for him to look so weak right before the release of his movie where he’s supposed to look larger than life.

WWE wanted Batista to work through the Payback special event, but were surprised to learn that his leave was happening a lot earlier.

He’s expected to be back in time for “WWE SummerSlam.” There’s no word yet on how this all will effect the return of Evolution.

Editor’s Note

I understand Batista’s reasoning behind wanting his persona and character to be portrayed a certain way before the release of his summer blockbuster film, but it still comes off a little cheap and even pathetic. Daniel Bryan vs. Batista could be one heck of a match, but it looks like we won’t be getting it anytime soon.