Fans might call Batista’s return a failure, but the way it ended up, was there really anybody you would call a better heel in the pre-Mania period? More so than Orton he was absolutely the key heel for Daniel Bryan in WWE’s WrestleMania build. Sure the heat was firstly forced upon The Animal, but once he started running with it, he gave a lesson in how to be the number one bad guy. His little mannerisms, facial expressions, microphone delivery… Batista was performing exceptionally as the man we all wanted to boo.

In the ring he has proved effective too. His TV matches were enjoyable. His Mania 30 main event was riveting, as was the action he had as part of Evolution vs The Shield at Extreme Rules. It isn’t fair to say that those matches ended up stellar because of the people he was in against, Batista was a key component in his own right. The Animal has had a solidly performing few months and WWE will really feel his absence once he takes off after Payback.

Best Moment Of 2014: Winning the 2014 Royal Rumble

Best Match Of 2014: Evolution vs The Shield, Extreme Rules