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Batista and Randy Orton came out of Evolution as two of the biggest stars in the WWE. They both represented the future, and they became exactly what was meant for them. They would both go on to have Hall of Fame careers, win several world titles, and main event WrestleMania multiple times each.
As rising stars in the same stable, most people would assume a huge WrestleMania main event would've happened at some point, maybe to see who took better advantage of their opportunities, see who utilized their potential more, or just to see who was truly better. It never happened, but on two separate occasions, eight years apart, this match was meant to headline WrestleMania, but unfortunately, never materialized.
RELATED: 5 Reasons Batista Was The Best Prospect To Come Out Of Evolution (& 5 Reasons It Was Randy Orton)
Many Factors Led To Batista Vs Orton Getting Canceled At WrestleMania 22
WrestleMania plans are supposed to be thought out months in advance. It's the biggest show of the year, so matches need to be at least brainstormed or suggested, so storylines can start up. However, plans can change very easily especially in the world of professional wrestling. WrestleMania 22 was a victim of several planned matches getting canceled such as Eddie Guerrero vs Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart vs Vince McMahon, and of course, Batista vs Randy Orton.
When matches get canceled, it's usually for just one reason like an injury, punishment, or even death. In this case, it was all three of those things. First off, Eddie Guerrero's untimely and unfortunate death caused many plans to change. Rumors floated around that Eddie was going to take the World Heavyweight Title off of Batista, so The Animal could take some time off ,then Batista would win it back to battle Orton at WrestleMania. Those rumors were debunked by a former writer, however, Eddie's death still changed plans as they gave Rey Mysterio a big push in memory of Eddie.
Rey Mysterio, wasn't origianlly intended for that push even after Eddie died. It was less of Rey getting rewarded, and more of Randy Orton getting punished. Randy Orton was supposed to win the Royal Rumble, beat Batista at WrestleMania, and enjoy a long reign with him always just squeaking out victories with the help of his father, Cowboy Bob Orton. Well, Bob Orton almost gave The Undertaker hepatitis in a Hell in a Cell match between Taker and Orton. It may not have been Randy's fault, but his push still got taken away from him because of it.
Even if Eddie didn't die, Randy's father didn't almost transmit as serious disease to The Undertaker, and everything else stayed the same, Batista suffered a triceps injury in January in a match against Mark Henry. Batista would miss WrestleMania, completely, besides a small backstage segment with Randy, himself. Randy would still get a world title match at WrestleMania 22 in a triple threat match along with Rey Mysterio and Kurt Angle, but would be the one to be pinned by Mysterio. There was just nothing to be done as several outside circumstances led to the match getting canceled. WWE would try again eight years later, but this time, they were the ones to cancel the match.
A Planned Singles Match At WrestleMania 30 Changed Due To The Rise Of Daniel Bryan's 'Yes' Movement
In late 2013, the World Heavyweight Champion was unified with the WWE Champion, and Randy Orton was set to walk into WrestleMania 30 with both titles on his shoulders. Batista, now a major movie star, was ready to make a grand return to the company after four years away. Batista was all set to win the Royal Rumble, beat Orton at WrestleMania, and carry the WWE World Heavyweight Champion while marketing Guardians of the Galaxy.
RELATED: 10 Things You Forgot About The Authority Vs Daniel Bryan Rivalry
WWE was dead set on this singles match, but the fans had other ideas in mind. Daniel Bryan was becoming loved by the fanbase in a way that hadn't been seen in a very long time. In a Champions Ascension ceremony segment on an episode of Raw in Bryan's hometown, the chants and cheers were deafening to such a point that mic veteran Triple H didn't know what to do because the crowd wasn't letting him talk. John Cena would go off script and talk about Daniel Bryan in his promo. This goes to show that Daniel Bryan wasn't just over, he was electric.
However, the company weren't budging at all. Batista still won the Rumble match in one of the most obvious finishes to the match of all time, and Bryan was meant for a singles match in the middle of the card against Sheamus. The fans were not having it, and they would chant even louder, so WWE knew that if they didn't award Bryan with the title at WrestleMania, it would not end well. The singles match was then changed to a triple threat match, and Bryan would make Batista tap out to win in one of the best endings to a WrestleMania.
Batista and Randy Orton were among the biggest names in the Ruthless Aggression and PG Era. They were big deals and were treated as such, so it's crazy that the former stablemates didn't even have a singles match on pay-per-view until Armageddon 2008, almost four years after Evolution ended. However, it's not like their intended matches at WrestleMania were canceled for stupid reasons. Legitimate outside variables hindered the plans. Even so, two fan favorites got a shining moment on the grandest stage because of it. It's just best to not remember the aftermath of those world title wins.
