Batista is a legend of the wrestling business and someone who achieved everything that there was to do in the world of WWE. From being in a memorable faction to headlining PPVs, the Animal was able to do it all, and he got to work against some of the best wrestlers along the way.
Some of his opponents benefited from competing against him, because Batista was able to make them look fantastic. However, that wasn't the case for everyone as there were others he made look like a joke, whether it was due to a bad storyline or how the matches were booked along the way.
8 Made Look Legit: John Cena
John Cena made his rise in WWE alongside Batista with the two men pushing to the main event scene at the exact same time. Because they were both so popular they got the chance to work against each other frequently, and the two men always brought the best out of each other.
Of course, Cena was a top star in his own right but working against Batista certainly helped to push him further. Either man could have been selfish at this point and wanted to be the number one star, but they always worked professionally and ensured they pushed each other to new heights.
7 Made Look Like A Joke: Reverend D-Von
Reverend D-Von was the first person that Batista got the chance to properly work with on the main roster after they initially started out as partners. The gimmick didn't get over that well for the iconic tag team star, but Batista got to be involved as his muscle outside the ring.
Eventually, he turned on D-Von and dominated their brief storyline. It was something that made Batista look fantastic as he was developing himself as a top name, but it cemented D-Von's character wasn't working, and didn't help his run as a singles talent.
6 Made Look Legit: Daniel Bryan
When Batista made his first return to WWE, the plan was always for him to go on and headline WrestleMania 30, and it was expected he would claim the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. What people hadn't accounted for was the fact that Daniel Bryan would end up being so popular.
However, that is what happened and Batista showed how he is a team player by pivoting everything to help get him over. Batista did an excellent job of making Bryan look fantastic, and his work in that story helped to take Bryan to new heights as a performer.
5 Made Look Like A Joke: Dolph Ziggler
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One wrestler that didn't benefit from Batista returning to the company was Dolph Ziggler. He had been talking trash about the Animal on social media to build some interest in their brief television storyline, but it wasn't something that saw Batista dominate him completely.
Of course, Ziggler is a master when it comes to selling and that is exactly what he did here. It made their matches engaging, but it pushed Batista as a hard-hitting monster, while Ziggler wasn't able to look anywhere near as impressive.
4 Made Look Legit: Umaga
Umaga was often a nearly-man in WWE, being a great monster that could put on entertaining matches with people, but he was often dominated by his opponent. That wasn't the case when he collided against Batista in their brand supremacy encounter, as they both got time to shine.
In the build they would constantly attack each other, and that helped to establish Umaga as a genuine threat. Their 'Mania match was also competitive, and the storyline helped to establish Umaga as a dominant force.
3 Made Look Legit: The Shield
One of the last storylines that Batista ever had in WWE was against The Shield, and he did a great job making the trio look fantastic. Evolution reunited to create a dream scenario between the two iconic factions, and Batista certainly played his part in all of that.
He was firing on all cylinders by the time these matches came around, and that certainly helped Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose as they were starting to progress as performers.
2 Made Look Like A Joke: Alberto Del Rio
Alberto Del Rio found himself in a difficult situation when he was facing Batista in a buffer feud between the 2014 Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 30. The fans had turned on Batista and were booing him which made this a very difficult for Del Rio to work as an effective heel.
It didn't make him look good in the role he was supposed to be undertaking, which was mainly due to the circumstance. However, because Batista was also heading to a 'Mania main event he had to dominate the encounter, which hurt Del Rio as well.
1 Made Look Legit: The Great Khali
Pulling out a great match against The Great Khali wasn't an easy situation for anybody who was tasked with it, simply because he wasn't gifted as a performer. Inside the ring, he had a limited move set and that made things difficult for his opponents, but Batista managed to create a few engaging encounters.
Even though they weren't the best matches in his career, there's no denying the fact that Batista made Khali look like a legitimate threat. He sold perfectly for him and that made him seem like someone that could be taken seriously at the top of the card.