

The Undertaker is undoubtedly the most intimidating character in the history of pro wrestling. The impact the knell in the darkness created in the arena was enough to speed up the heart rate of anyone who wished to stand before him. However, a rare picture of The Undertaker from 2001, where a certain WWE superstar stands before him fearless left fans shocked on Twitter.
The picture was of Freedom Hall 2001, where ‘The Deadman’ faced former WWE and Current Hollywood superstar Dave Batista. ‘The Animal’ and ‘The Phenom’ had an intense rivalry until the end of the Ruthless Aggression Era and it adorns the list of accolades in both of their careers. Here, this rare picture says it all about that intensity, but fans can’t believe Batista had such a terrific physique back then.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
On the Throwback Thursday post by Allred The Giant on Twitter, The Undertaker stands face-to-face with Dave Batista aka Leviathan. Also, their confrontation aired on May 26, and the particular picture was taken before that at Freedom Hall on May 15th, 2001.
The Undertaker comes face-to-face with Leviathan (Batista) at Freedom Hall in Kentucky on May 15, 2001.
This confrontation aired on the May 26, 2001 episode of OVW TV.
📸 YouTube (Kentuckiana Classics)#ThrowbackThursday | #WWEHOF pic.twitter.com/5L3WX51dim
— Allred The Giant (@AllredtheGiant) April 7, 2022
The Fans Are Surprised to See Batista’s Physique
Beside almost 7 ft tall Undertaker, Dave Batista stands out with his 321 lbs physique. Moreover, the fans under the tweet could not believe as ‘The Animal’ had such a figure even in the early 2000s. One comment shared the fact that Batista was one of the few who had to lay off weights before his TV debut. Another one said that in live event, he is actually bigger than on TV.
Batista was the first wrestler in history to be told to lay off the weights abit before he made tv
— Dan Moore (@striker2fall) April 7, 2022
I was at that smackdown tv don't do justice 2 just how big they really are
— Kevin Gumm (@KevinGumm3) April 7, 2022
The Undertaker Vs Dave Batista Rivalry
The Dave Batista vs Taker rivalry did not officially kick off until 2007. The Undertaker picked the ‘Evolution’s Animal’ and defeated him in World Heavyweight Championship. In most of the matches including WrestleManias and Heavyweight titles, The Deadman took the victory. But in 2007, on two different occasions, the ‘Leviathan’ defeated Taker.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Watch This Story: From The Rock to Lacey Evans : WWE Superstars Rumored To Make A Return Soon
Further, the duo had a few matches that ended up in draw. The 2007 Last Man Standing match was the first draw they had and Batista rose up in the charts to new levels after that. WWE Cyber Sunday 2007, where ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin was the guest referee, was the first time Taker lost to Batista. Then, the same year in the Hell In A Cell, Batista shook the Lord of darkness again pinning him down.
The Undertaker vs Batista rivalry that stretched through the entirety of 2007 is so damn amazing.
One of my favourite Undertaker feuds of all time.#SurvivorSeries pic.twitter.com/7H2sCrRNIu
— Wrestling Jebus (@WrestlingJebus) November 22, 2020
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
However, the ending note of their rivalry was a Chairs match in 2009 December, where Taker defeated the Marvel star. After a few years, Dave Batista turned his focus to the film industry and found success in Hollywood. Meanwhile, the Undertaker went on with his spectacular career until his retirement in 2020.
Read More: The Original Plans for The Undertaker’s WrestleMania Streak
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT