Batista: The Animal Unleashed review

Of all the fans in sports, WWE fans- and wrestling fans in general- can be some of the most critical and vocally outspoken you’ll find. When WWE announced the latest Batista DVD- Batista: The Animal Unleashed, some fans wondered why WWE would release a disc so soon after he returned to the ring; especially when his recent return hasn’t been horribly welcomed by the fans (something that’s been surprising to say the least). But when you sit down and think about it, delve deep into the idea and look past Batista the wrestler and look at Batista as a person and his career, it makes perfect sense and couldn’t be more beautiful- that’s what WWE’s goal is with Batista: The Animal Unleashed– and they accomplish that very goal plus some. As most WWE DVD collections do, this DVD starts with an in-depth interview and look into the recent events in Batista’s career. When he quit WWE unexpectedly in 2010, the rumors of why he was walking out began to run rampant virtually the second he announced it on RAW the night after Over The Limit and his bloodbath of an I Quit match with John Cena. Was he quitting because of steroid abuse, a budding movie career, MMA aspirations or disagreeing with the WWE’s growing PG direction? All those questions and more are answered in this impressive documentary. Of course, being a six-time WWE Champion and at the top of his game when he left- receiving quite a push from WWE Creative and having the world in the palm of his hands- a return was inevitable and it was just a question of when he’d make his triumphant return. While filming his upcoming film, Guardians of the Galaxy (coming to a theater near you this August) Batista and Triple H started talking more frequently and the topic of a return was brought up here and there. Even though his movie career was becoming more and more successful, Batista felt strongly that he had unfinished business and the plans were made for a return. However, as always Batista wasn’t gonna half-ass it- if he was coming back he was doing it all and starting by winning the 2014 Royal Rumble. He went on to main event Wrestlemania 30 with Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton in a Triple Threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and saw main event action in the next several Pay Per Views. Batista: The Animal Unleashed takes you right into the world of Dave Batista and gives you a fresh perspective of the man who has become known as “The Animal” and answers a lot of questions that were left up in the air after his 2010 departure and 2014 return. On top of an incredible documentary, the rest of the DVD collection includes some of the most incredible matches not just in Batistas career but in recent WWE memory including WWE Championship “I Quit” Match vs John Cena, World Tag Team Championship Match with Ric Flair vs The Dudley Boys, Batista and Eddie Guerrero vs MNM, Punjabi Prison match vs. The Great Khali plus over 5 hours more. With a documentary running approximately 40 minutes, disc 1 containing 50 minutes of bonus features and disc 2 running 2 hours and 30 minutes and disc 3 running 2 hours and 45 minutes, Batista: The Animal Unleashed is definitely worth a buy and more than one watch. Rating: 9/10 -Reggie Edwards