Triple H says Batista was the real MVP when it came to Evolution.
Evolution was formed in 2003 by Ric Flair and Triple H as a way to freshen up their acts while also grooming two younger stars for success. Randy, Orton and Batista were the two younger stars chosen to be the next main event WWE Superstars by Fllair and Hunter.
Of course, both Orton and Batista would become WWE World Heavyweight Champions within two years of the group's formation, with Batista defeating Triple H in the headlining match of WWE WrestleMania 21 in 2005.
Appearing on The Roommates Show with Brunson and Josh Hart, Triple H reflected on putting the group together and some within WWE choosing to write Batista off too soon.
"The MVP in Evolution is Batista. Ric was established. I was established. Randy was established coming out of the group, but as we were forming the group, and Ric and I are the ones that put that together, solely. We were the ones that picked Randy and Dave. A lot of people had kind of written Dave off as ‘he’s never going to make it.’ Ric and I were adamant about putting him in the group. As we started to do the group, everybody kept saying, ‘Randy is the breakout.’ I kept saying, ‘You guys are wrong. It’s going to be Dave.’ He was a sponge. He got it. You might not have known it at that time, but the level he put into it and how hard he worked, for me, he was the MVP."
Today, Dave Bautista is a top star in Hollywood. His final match in WWE came in 2019 at WWE WrestleMania 35. He also faced Triple H that night, wanting to end his career with his mentor.
Fans can read Batista's thoughts on the WWE Hall of Fame, and a future induction at this link.
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