Batista rips young talent

[Tombi]

Does Batista not have the right to an opinion though?

Thing is, I've seen hundreds of people on the internet complain about this very same issue - none of whom have ever stepped foot in a ring. Does this make their opinion completely invalid? Of course not, they're simply giving their views as a fan and we accept that. But when someone like Batista says the same thing everybody automatically thinks he's proclaiming himself to be the best, when really he's just saying the same thing any other fan with that opinion would. If that's how he honestly feels, more power to him - it just probably wasn't a good idea to be so honest about it.

The idea of Batista just sitting at home getting fat is quite funny though, makes me like the guy more somehow.

[Mayonnaise]

Dec 30, 2009 12:17:01 GMT -5 MasonK565 said:

Dec 30, 2009 9:30:09 GMT -5 spagett said:

What a douche.

Where is Booker T when you need him?

I agree

Sitting at home after being fired from two companies for not wanting to work with young talent.


Batista has been in wrestling for about 10 years or so, has trained, traveled and worked with the best as well as been on top a long time so he knows what it takes to get there and stay. At the very least, he has the knowledge to know how to do that, that he can pass on.

Hell, I'd rather see him than most others in the company (Taker, Jericho, DX and Punk being the exceptions) because he how to draw people in.

[AriadosMan]

WWE should just forbid its employees from doing interviews period. Most of the time the stuff they say is to the detriment of the company.

[Brandon Walsh is Insane.]

He is a bad guy on TV... just like Orton, extending the character... kayfabe lives.

[Facepalm]

Batista telling people who haven't been on the roster as long how to tell a story in the ring? Really? What's next, Michael Cole telling Matt Striker how to do commentary?!

Oh yeah, I went there.

[rrm15]

In a shoot interview Steve Corino talked about his experience trying out as a writer for the WWE. In the interview Corino talked about scheduling a promo for CM Punk but didn't write out what Punk would say. He was then confronted by a WWE writer, who said the wrestlers don't come up with what they want to say; the writers do. Verbatim. He also talked about writers telling the road agents how to lay out the match beforehand, using the example of some guy telling RICKY STEAMBOAT how to lay out a match. (If anyone can post the shoot so we can hear the exact context I'd appreciate it.)

The point is, look at that above example. What are the wrestlers supposed to do? You have 4-6 minutes to get yourself over on TV, using verbatim what the writers told you to use, and if you DON'T get over, you get Scotty Goldman'd, Kizarney'd, etc. Thats not a knock on the writers themselves really, but on the process. If the new guys can't "tell a story", isn't that more of a reflection of the creative process than the wrestlers themselves?

Another thing is the WWE's recruitment process. Ricky Ortiz was recently let go, and then it was said he had been wrestling less than 2 years before debuting! Ortiz wasn't ready to be on TV, like a lot of people WWE is so determined to push. Guys like Jack Swagger and Shelton Benjamin go straight from college to the WWE and are told exactly what to do when they get there without chance before to actually develop themselves. Also, theres the endless parade of 2nd and 3rd generation wrestlers who, lets face it, are guaranteed instant contracts based on their last names and are for the most part bland as hell.

So, what exactly is supposed to happen? WWE isn't signing people from the indy's, which is where you go through the process of honing your craft and developing something about yourself that stands out. Its where you learn to tell a story in the ring. Have you noticed who's been carrying the WWE? The veterans who all went through that process and know what to do now. HHH, HBK, 'Taker, Jericho, Kane, Big Show, etc. If you booked Jericho and Shawn to each give a 3 minute promo before a match they were supposed to have and had them lay out the match themselves and give them 20 minutes, you'll get greatness. Doing the same thing with Cody Rhodes and Shelton Benjamin? You might get entertainment out of it but it wouldn't be the same.

Sorry for the rambling, but thats my two cents.

[Celgress]

Dec 30, 2009 7:25:12 GMT -5 Perigryn said:

Dec 30, 2009 7:14:03 GMT -5 wrestlecrapcrap said:

Doesn't sound too bad, he's a top guy saying what's required to be a top guy. If any newcomer is smart they will listen to what he says. He's basically telling them to step it up, which isn't a bad thing.

Batista is always willing to help out the younger guys anyway.

...especially the Divas....

Woo woo woo you know it.

[RI Richmark]

Dec 30, 2009 15:37:48 GMT -5 Mayonnaise said:

Dec 30, 2009 12:17:01 GMT -5 MasonK565 said:

I agree

Sitting at home after being fired from two companies for not wanting to work with young talent.


Batista has been in wrestling for about 10 years or so, has trained, traveled and worked with the best as well as been on top a long time so he knows what it takes to get there and stay. At the very least, he has the knowledge to know how to do that, that he can pass on.

Hell, I'd rather see him than most others in the company (Taker, Jericho, DX and Punk being the exceptions) because he how to draw people in.

This.

I resent the notion held by some that Batista was just handed his spot. He had to work hard like everybody else to make it. Sure, his size gave him an opportunity other wrestlers might not get, but if being big was the only thing you needed to be successful, then why are Sintsky, Tomko, Luther Reigns and many other hosses no longer in WWE?

Batista has developed a unique look and a distinctive style in order to stand out. He is very convincing as a monster and is, IMHO, the best pure power wrestler in the WWE today. He had great matches against Undertaker, Triple H, John Cena, and most recently Rey Mysterio. Sure they're great wrestlers too, but I always believe it takes two to tango.

He's not perfect. If he did say these comments he shouldn't have made them public. But he earned his spot, and has the right to speak on the product like anyone else.

I'm Richmark and I approve this message.

[wrestlecrapcrap]

I don't know why another page has gone by with people still thinking Batista is only talking about promos. It's not just that. It's not just about being good in the ring either, it's about story telling.

There's no doubt the writers script promos, and that's because they want a cohesive story that can be followed through week to week rather than something inconsistent that just happens to be what's on the wrestlers mind at that moment. Scripting isn't holding anyone back that could be doing better right now, all the guys with talent and potential are showing it in the current environment. Having a match planned out is also a good thing.

Storytelling is how you do that. It's how you deliver that scripted promo. It's about the subtle pauses, looks and emphasis. In a match, it's not just about doing what you are told, it's about making the fans believe.

Fans go nuts for Batista. If people think they would go that crazy for any old muscular guy who 'got lucky' they are deluding themselves. Triple H didn't just decide randomly to take Batista under his wing, he saw potential in him and moulded him into a star.

[Dr. T is an alien]

Batista is decent at telling the stories that WWE creative is able to write. He can even do the standard WWE promo well enough. I don't have many problems with what he had to say, though I think it is incredibly unfair that WWE Creative has no imagination or actual creativity that could allow everyone to flourish in the WWE rather than just the select few who pull off the standard stuff well.

[rrm15]

There's no doubt the writers script promos, and that's because they want a cohesive story that can be followed through week to week rather than something inconsistent that just happens to be what's on the wrestlers mind at that moment. Scripting isn't holding anyone back that could be doing better right now, all the guys with talent and potential are showing it in the current environment. Having a match planned out is also a good thing.

Thats not how it works. They can have a few bullet points to go over and follow an outline, but scripting every little thing is a safety net that keeps the WWE in the same 'ol same 'ol mold they've been in for years. No one is saying for the wrestlers to go out and come up with stuff on the fly, that'd be idiotic. And of course matches have to be planned out, but again, it should just be a general outline. Big spots to hit, who is holding the momentum and when, who wins, etc.

I don't have many problems with what he had to say, though I think it is incredibly unfair that WWE Creative has no imagination or actual creativity that could allow everyone to flourish in the WWE rather than just the select few who pull off the standard stuff well.

Bingo.

[Square]

I just imagine Batista ripping Evan Bourne like a phonebook

[wrestlecrapcrap]

Dec 30, 2009 19:43:28 GMT -5 Dr. T is an alien said:

Batista is decent at telling the stories that WWE creative is able to write. He can even do the standard WWE promo well enough. I don't have many problems with what he had to say, though I think it is incredibly unfair that WWE Creative has no imagination or actual creativity that could allow everyone to flourish in the WWE rather than just the select few who pull off the standard stuff well.

The 'select few' are the good story tellers Batista is on about. It's not easy to make it in the WWE, you have to be very, very good.

[skiller]

When I saw the two words "Batista rips," I expected this thread to be about something else.

[FunkerCM]

Hopefully the younger talent Batista speaks of will grow up before they reach their peak in their late-30s like he did.

As a guy who looked up to the Warlord when he was "a kid" (in his 20s) before finally being recognised in the business in his mid-30s, I really don't think he's qualified to speak of the deficiencies in younger talent.

[Larryhausen]

Dec 30, 2009 19:41:49 GMT -5 wrestlecrapcrap said:

There's no doubt the writers script promos, and that's because they want a cohesive story that can be followed through week to week rather than something inconsistent that just happens to be what's on the wrestlers mind at that moment. Scripting isn't holding anyone back that could be doing better right now, all the guys with talent and potential are showing it in the current environment. Having a match planned out is also a good thing.

Then how come angles were easier to follow before every little thing was written out the way it is now?

[AriadosMan]

Dec 30, 2009 20:09:46 GMT -5 wrestlecrapcrap said:

The 'select few' are the good story tellers Batista is on about. It's not easy to make it in the WWE, you have to be very, very good.

"Good" by current WWE standards means most of their classic talent, who relied heavily on improvised promos, would not make it.

[Dave at the Movies]

I have to go with the side that says Batista has no business saying this. People on here saying Batista is good at what he does and has a right to say this about younger guys(most of who are way more talented than he could ever imagine being) is ridiculous.

[Hogasm]

Dec 30, 2009 11:02:07 GMT -5 Fiddleford H. McGucket said:

I'm sorry, nothing about his time gives him anything like the right to claim Veteran-hood, he may know what to do, and by that I mean he found a way to latch on to the biggest fish in the pond (HHH) and has enough of a marketable look to insert himself into high profile feuds.

Hell, If he weren't so injury prone and didn't have everything HANDED to him in spite of said injuries I don't think i9t would be so bad.

YOU STINK OF SMARTNESS!

also, that game rules

[Confused Mark Wahlberg]

In Soviet Russia, young talent rip Batista!

What a country!