Even more so than with John Cena it seems as if it’s a pre-requisite for being a wrestling fan on the internet that you hate Dave Batista. He doesn’t care for the business, he can’t “work”, he can’t cut a promo, he takes the spot on the roster that those more deserving than him will never get.
Well before we get too far into the review of The Animal Unleashed it’s perhaps best to come clean. I like Dave. On his previous DVD I thought he came across very well and his actions in the ring and on TV since his return to the WWE at Royal Rumble 2014 have shown that he does care about the business and that he has that rare thing in a top superstar. Humility, humour and an ability to realise that at the heart of it, wrestling is supposed to be fun.
With the aforementioned 2009 release I Walk Alone already in the bag, the documentary portion of this release concentrates on his return to the company and some of the things that he put his talents to whilst he was away. Although short, at around 40 minutes or so, it is worth a watch, especially for the backstage footage of his return to the company. Dave comes across, once again, as a likeable guy who seems to genuinely love what he does for a living. It’s far from a puff piece though; our man acknowledges some of the negativity surrounding his return and freely admits that there are legions out there, hiding behind computer screens, who have no love for him. But as he says, he’s his own worst critic so nothing anyone else says hurts him half as much as his own critiques.
It’s not the essential documentary feature that I Walk Alone was, but fans of Big Dave will enjoy it and those of you who don’t like him but are willing to watch it with an open mind might even themselves concede that a lot of the bile thrown his way in 2014 was in no way justified.
There are twenty-two matches on display and whilst there are a fair share of meaningless TV encounters there is some good action on display. There’s a good Bullrope match against JBL, an entertaining Stretcher match against Shawn Michaels, some great action from his memorable feud with Rey Mysterio and other choice cuts against the likes of Chris Jericho and Edge.
It would be difficult to label any of the matches “must see” or “5-star” but for the most part they belie the belief of some that Batista “can’t work”. The man himself would admit that he’s not the greatest in-ring performer of the last two decades but that by no means should be taken to suggest that he was, or is, hopeless. Two 2014 matches finish things off as he wins the Royal Rumble and faces Alberto Del Rio at Elimination Chamber.
7 extra matches (and 3 promo segments) are exclusive to blu-ray, including his Raw debut from 2002 against Justin Credible. As ever, they’re worth the few extra pounds to upgrade from the DVD set.
Whilst there is an argument that the documentary is too short and that twenty-nine Batista matches spreads things a little thin, I enjoyed this set. It was interesting to see the backstage stuff in the documentary and once again the “real” Batista came across as someone who was genuinely a nice guy. Throw in some good matches that many fans have probably forgotten about and this makes a great set for Batista fans and worth a least a view for those who aren’t fans but are willing to open their minds a little bit and not just follow the opinions of others.
– By Matthew Roberts | @IWFICON
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