For Filipino wrestling fans, Batista is more than his Gatling gun – Batista is a kababayan. Recently, Batista came to the Philippines to promote Wrestlemania XXV. The GUIDON was able to sit down with him for a quick interview.
Despite being known to fans as “The Animal,” which is apt to describe his prowess in the ring, Batista in real life is pretty soft-spoken, far from the intimidating force he is in the ring. Evidently, he has a side that fans at ringside don’t get to see.
Troubled youth
For one, Batista says that he understands teenagers and young adults. A lot of his fans look up to him and he does his best to look out for his fans by being honest with them. This WWE superstar is always particular with the way he interacts with his fans.
“I want to see them learn from the mistakes I’ve made in my life. But they shouldn’t see me as a role model,” says the former WWE champion.
Batista came from a troubled youth, which involved several personal problems and run-ins with the law. Eventually, Batista used these negative experiences to turn his life around for the better.
Though Batista was fortunate to do this through his talents, he understands the importance of education to a young person’s life. Having a daughter in his life certainly helps him see this.
“Education is very important, this is what I preach to kids all the time,” he says.
At the end of the day, he says, it is this relationship with his fans that he will miss most when he leaves the ring for good.
Cancer awareness
His bond with young people is made all the more concrete by Batista’s visits to kids in cancer wards, when his schedule permits.
“If this kid is on his deathbed, and all he wants to see [is] you before he dies, by all means I’m there,” he says.
Cancer is an especially relevant issue to Batista. “My wife has cancer and has been dealing with it for years now.”
Batista is a staunch supporter of ovarian cancer awareness, which is one of the least funded research among all the types of the disease. He wishes to take a more active role in this after his days in the ring are over.
Filipino at heart
Inside the ring, however, Batista is still Batista. And on July 10, the RAW brand will bring their show over to Manila. Batista, being Filipino, looks forward to his visits to the Philippines. He hopes to be selected for the draft over the summer for the Manila show.
Batista is amazed with Filipino culture and way of life. He fondly recalls memories of his Filipino grandfather’s wake as a testament to this. He remembers seeing crowds of people at the wake that he’d never seen before.
“I guess this showed what kind of person he is. That he came to the States and worked hard in order to achieve what he wanted,” says Batista about the horde of people that paid their last respects to his grandfather.
“Filipinos are fighters in their own right,” says the heavyweight.
Batista says he admires Filipino qualities. He believes Filipinos have the potential to make it big not just in entertainment or in the sporting world, but in any field they venture in to.
True success
Batista is a man who turned his life around in order to attain true success. But this is not in the matches or titles he has won, or the fans that follow him. His success is that he learned from his mistakes in order to be part of a loving family and having a contribution to the betterment of his loved ones and those who love him.
And how he toppled these overwhelming odds in and out of the ring, The Animal simply states in pure Batista fashion, “You don’t do anything half-ass, you don’t get through life half-ass.”
