Being jacked up as he is probably doesn't help the quest to not tear muscles.

I like Batista he is good in the ring and is always improving, but there is no way in hell he isn't on the juice.

Would love to hear the explanation about how this injury occurred. Don't hamstring injuries result from sprinting usually? Guess Big Dave is getting a little chemical assistance to be "Big" Dave.

How old is Batista? Isn't he getting up there where recovery could be getting longer and more difficult?

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: He turns 40 next month.

I agree that Orton and Cena has been done quite a few times before. But the way they are building up Orton of late, by the time they get to WrestleMania, Orton may actually be seen as an equal to Cena, which he wasn't in past encounters. He was playing the cowardly heel more in the past, whereas now he is much more confident. And with the Legacy faction behind him, it could be a much more significant feud with more facets to it than in their previous feud. Or maybe it's just that I'm an Orton mark and not a big fan of Batista.

nooooooooooooooooo not my batista!! lol i just told my 6 yr old sister and she started crying!! how devistativing!!

good luck with your recovery batista.. we will miss you!!!

This definitely throws a monkey wrench in their plans. Allow me to play fantasy booker if you will...

Triple H wins the Royal Rumble, thereby getting a shot at whatever title he wants. He wants a WrestleMania rematch against John Cena!

I don't think that will happen, but I actually do think Triple H will win the Royal Rumble. I see money in a Triple H/Jeff Hardy match with the tables turned - H as the challenger instead of champion.

As for Batista, he was my pick to win the Elimination Chamber @ No Way Out, which I'm guessing is the official February match now since it was leaked in WWE magazine that it would take place at NWO.

I guess WWE needs to put megaheat on Randy Orton to get him ready for WrestleMania. The start of the feud is simple - Orton took out Cena's friend. You can then have Orton win either the Rumble or the Elimination Chamber match. It's a neat twist, since Cena won the '08 Rumble to face Orton.

Go into their history, replay the kick to Cena's head from last summer, maybe a cameo from their dads, "Mr. Cena" and Bob Orton.

If they play this off as being the final chapter in their "unfinshed business" Cena/Orton could be a big match.

I find Batista boring. He knows he's uber-over with the crowd and sometimes it seems, at least to me, that he phones in his performances, in-ring and out. Injury is terrible and I wish him a speedy and full recovery...but I don't regret the storyline changes.

If Cena-Orton is indeed the main event, then I'll consider not buying WrestleMania. (Usually, I just buy the big four.) I've seen those two and I don't consider another iteration to be worth $40. Same goes if it's a Triple-Threat match; enough already with those, especially for championships. The best classic matches—Flair v. Sting, Hulk v. Andre, etc.—were always singles.

Is Batista on steroids? I don't know the answer. If he is not on steroids, I would like to get some workout tips from him. He has a remarkable physique for a man of his age while I, several years younger than he, can't do the six-day-per-week workout regimen which I did when I was nineteen because my muscles no longer recover quickly enough.

that is a real LOW BLOW to wwe batista is one of their biggest stars on raw
and the overall wwe roster
missing the 25th aniversery of wreslemania
ohhh that's gotta hurt....

Sorry to hear about his injury, but I've been waiting for Cena vs Orton for a long time!!! Bring It!!!!!!!!! Age of Orton is BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wish Bastista well but I just don't find him very entertaining (though he has improved over the last year).

Chance for other talent to step up and fill the void.

All I gotta say is that if they don't tell people the reason that Batista is out cause of his hamstring it's gonna make CM punk look like amazingly tough. I mean think about Randy punts Ted Dibiase and we haven't seen him since he punts HBK and he's out for like three months and now He punts Batista and he's gonna be out for 6 months but he punts Punk and he's out for just a week.

I dont know why this wasnt brought up before. But... could this at all be a swerve, Kev? I mean, you saw what WWE said about John Cena this past rumble. Said he wouldnt be good to go until MAYBE wrestlemania. And then he went on to rock the house in MSG that night, and main-evented 'Mania.

So to place this as a swerve wouldnt be far-fetched. Have Batista win the Rumble and do Cena v. Batista for the title in Mania 25 like they originally planned.

And really though, Kev... would it be the worst thing if Batista was really on the shelf. I mean, his act is getting really stale. He's not as over as he used to be. He doesnt sell to elevate his opponents. And even as he's not as over... there were still no signs of him turning heel which would've been awesome. Batista's injury can help elevate other guys now. Punk, Kofi, the Legacy. More spots for Miz and Morrison which is always a good thing.

So it’s that time of year again. The holidays. Time for everyone to take a step back and think about what they’re grateful for. Me? I’m grateful for the little things in life. Health. Happiness. Frigid temperatures. A playoff possibility for the Ravens. Texeira selling out worse than Shawn Michaels in his JBL feud. And Batista tearing a muscle for the fifth(?) time in six years.

Starting with the Ravens, who would have thought they could have progressed so much in a single season? I certainly didn’t see that coming. But even if this is the end of the season, it’s been fun to watch them progress throughout the course of the season, culminating with their thrilling victory over the Cowboys. I’m still savoring that one.

But why am I grateful for Texeira not signing with the Orioles? Easy. Because the Orioles would still suck even if they had picked up Tex. At least this way, they’ll be a joke without a star player. If they had been a laughing stock with a star player, it would have added insult to injury.

And speaking of injury, that brings me to Batista. Do his muscles consist of string cheese and Boog’s BBQ? (Mmmm…. Boog’s BBQ...) His muscles tear as easy as wet tissue paper, and that might be an insult to tissue paper. But really, Batista should just retire from in ring activity and rely on his top notch promo skills and his overflowing charisma… oh yeah, that’s right. His promos are weaker than his tendons. But hey, TNA is always willing to pick up some useless WWE reject when they’re old and washed up. That way Batista can work on his tan year round, since that’s the only thing he’s good for. That, and giving people something to make fun of him for on message boards and forums. I suppose that's Batista's gift to all of us this year.

Merry Christmas!

Kev,
Thanks for the update on Mickie. My only complaint is you took three column inches before you got to the important news.

Batista IS NOT ON STEROIDS mayb wen he 1st entered WWE @ 320 plus lbs i wudve agreed bt these days @ barely 290 lbs id say hes as natural as possible. Also most bodybuilders only start the peak of their career in their Mid 30's eg Ronnie Coleman. Batista's injury is a serious blow bt Wwe needs a different Main Event for wrestlemania no way fans will watch another Cena vs ever main event . What if Jericho wins the title and ortons wins the royal rumble I wudn mind Orton as a face against raw's top heel .

Wow that really screws up future plans. Hope Big Dave recovers in short time.

For WrestleMania, I'd have Undertaker win the Rumble and elect to fight for John Cena's World Heavyweight Title. I think Cena vs. Undertaker would be excellent and it hasn't been done since Cena's first push. I imagine Houston would boo Cena right out of the stadium!

Eck - When a wrestler like Big Dave goes down, who picks up the medical cost and lost profits based on the injury? I can't imagine the WWE would pick up a medical bill for Tommy Dreamer or Mike Knox if they went down.

By the way, when a poster like Yaz above me creates a post in something other than the English language, please delete it. Yaz gives wrestling fans a really bad name.

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I believe WWE pays for it.

Maybe to many roids or lack of are now taking there toll on Batista's body. Batista is a muscle bound freak and while sidelined should take some acting classes to improve his ring presence. WOOOOO!

Jack Swagger vs. John Cena for the World Heavyweight Title.