WWE Hall Of Famer Taught Major Star How To Do Basic Moves On Main Roster

Batista is a 6-time WWE Champion and a Hollywood Star, but a WWE Hall of Famer has revealed The Animal did not know how to deliver a clothesline after debuting on Smackdown.

In 2002, after spending two years in Ohio Valley Wrestling, Batista was called up by WWE to the Main Roster.

Batista was partnered with D-Von Dudley, after WWE decided to split the Dudley Boyz tag team.

Introduced as Deacon Batista, the Two-Time Royal Rumble winner started as a bodyguard for Reverend D-Von, before making his in-ring debut.

D-Von has now shared that during this time, Batista was not fully trained and was even unbale to deliver a clothesline.

Appearing on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, D-Von shared how he helped Batista learn how to clothesline during a tag match against Triple H.

“Dave [Batista] didn’t really know anything. You know, for instance, we did a spot in the match with myself and Triple H, where I would throw Triple H on the outside, take the referee, and Hunter would be getting up, leaning up against the post. Batista sees him, does the sign of the cross, goes to clothesline him, but Hunter gets out of the way and Batista hits the post and goes down.”

I remember, Batista came to me and said, ‘Rev I gotta ask you a question.’ I said ‘What’s up?’ He goes, ‘How do I do this? I go, ‘How do you do what?’ He goes ‘with Hunter?’ I go ‘Batista what are you talking about?’

‘How do I clothesline him when he moves out the way and then hit the post?’ I go ‘You messing with me, right?’ He goes, ‘No, I’m not.’ I said ‘Wait a minute. You’ve never done anything like this?’ He goes, ‘No, in OVW, All they had me do was come in and do run-ins. Because I was so massive and big they never really worked with me the way they did with Brock and Randy and Cena. I was just the guy that came in and nailed people. And that was it.

“I was like oh my God, I go, you got to be kidding me. Okay, so I’m trying to get a character over, Reverend D-Von, after being in a tag team match for almost 12 years at that time. Now you putting me in singles, and you putting me with a guy who’s green as sh*t. And now I gotta help him get along and help him get over, as well as myself. How the hell am I gonna do this?

I’m already scared to death about going on my own. It worked though, it worked for the little time that we did it. Then they went out and then somebody pulled the plug on it.”

D-Von Dudley also spoke about who made the decision to split up the Dudley Boyz in 2002.

After working with D-Von, Batista joined forces with Triple H, Ric Flair, and Randy Orton, to form Evolution.

Batista worked for WWE until 2010, leaving to focus on an acting career which has seen him work on some of Hollywood’s biggest franchises including Marvel and James Bond.

The Animal would return to WWE on two further occasions, with a final match against Triple H at WrestleMania 35.

H/t to Inside The Ropes