Batista: ‘I’m as durable as they come’ (with video)
Former WWE star Batista wants everyone to know that he’s very serious about crossing over into MMA. But in making that point in a recent interview with Fight Magazine, something he said actually had me laughing out loud.
When asked what his biggest assets are as far as competing in MMA, Batista said that one of them was his durability.
And he said it was a straight face.
“I’m real durable. I think I’ve proven that over the years with WWE,” he said. “I think any professional wrestler is if nothing else durable. … If there’s one requirement in professional wrestling, it's durability, and I’m as durable as they come.”
Anyone who has followed Batista’s career in WWE over the years knows that he had a reputation for being as injury-prone as anyone in the business. Missing extended periods of time because of severe muscle tears was almost as much of a trademark for him as the Batista Bomb.
Perhaps what Batista was really trying to say was that there is a lot of wear and tear on the body in pro wrestling and that you have to be resilient. That would have been a better choice of words, because when I think of wrestlers “as durable as they come,” I think of a guy like Chris Jericho, not Batista.
The durability issue aside, Batista came off well in this interview, and he does seem to be committed to making a go of it in MMA. I certainly didn’t get the impression that he is in any hurry to return to pro wrestling.
Comments
I respect Batista for following his heart and walking away from a big time contract. When you think of the injuries he has had you wouldn't think he was that durable but that's hard to say when you're taking bumps for a living.
RESPONSE FROM KE: Trust me, I have tremendous respect for anyone who wrestles for a living. I think it's really a matter of semantics. To me, durable means a guy who takes the nightly pounding but does not miss time due to injuries. I'd say Chris Jericho is Mr. Durability. A guy like Batista is resilient. He gets injured more frequently than most (therefore, not durable) but he keeps coming back, which is impressive.
Posted by: jt | August 16, 2010 4:43 PM
As an MMA fan, more than pro wrestling actually, I think that it is good that Batista realizes that he won't be challenging for a championship any time soon.
I'd be interested in seeing him fight; he doesn't have the amateur wrestling credentials of Brock Lesnar or Bobby Lashley.
Posted by: Matt | August 16, 2010 4:48 PM
For his sake, I hope that his first opponent isn't King Booker.
RESPONSE FROM KE: NIce.
Posted by: Christopher | August 16, 2010 10:36 PM
It seems like he has the right attitude about it, that one poorly worded statement aside. I hope he knows what he's doing. It seems to me that with his age and history of injuries that there is potential for him get seriously injured.
A fight with him and Bobby Lashley would be Strikeforce's biggest draw outside of a Fedor fight. In fact, it might even be a bigger draw than a Fedor fight, not among hardcore MMA fans, but probably among the general public and casual fans.
Posted by: J Newbs | August 16, 2010 10:48 PM
I'd like to nominate Christopher for comment of the week.
Is that still happening?. You may need to bring it back if not.
Posted by: Ted | August 17, 2010 11:18 AM
Batista will be more durable in MMA because they test for steroids which is probably what has caused all of those muscle tears.
Posted by: The Nature Boy | August 18, 2010 10:38 PM