Former WWE Champion Dave Batista has disclosed that his high-profile match against Triple H at WrestleMania 35 was initially conceived as a Hell in a Cell bout.
The disclosure came during Batista’s appearance on Chris Jericho‘s podcast “Talk is Jericho” in 2019. The clash between Batista and Triple H at WrestleMania 35 was eventually billed as a No Holds Barred match, with the added stipulation that Triple H would have to retire from in-ring competition if he lost. However, The Animal expressed that their original vision for the match was quite different.
Originally, we wanted it to be a Hell in a Cell.
The reason for the change in match type, according to Dave, came directly from former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.
Vince didn’t want it because of the pay-per-view.
He further elaborated:
We needed bells and whistles, we needed the drama. We are two old guys that haven’t wrestled in a while, we have already got the history, we just needed the violence.
The match, despite not being held inside a Hell in a Cell was still a violent encounter and served as a fitting end to the in-ring career of Batista. Triple H only went on to wrestle a few more matches and ended his in-ring career just a few months later.
Why Did Batista Want To Leave WWE For Hollywood?
Batista spoke about why he wanted to leave WWE to pursue a career in Hollywood and said that he became so passionate about acting that he had to leave wrestling to focus on his acting career. However, he said that he still loves the wrestling world and that he still wants to be involved with the WWE when he can.
In recent news, Batista is set to appear in an upcoming Christmas movie.
If you use any of the quotes from this article please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to Inside The Ropes.