Why six-time World Champion Batista was rejected for WCW tryout

Even before turning out to be a six-time World Champion in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Batista overcame his fair share of rejections and critics. One such incident turned out during the WCW tryout held at its Power Plant wrestling school where former trainer Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker, nicknamed Sarge, rejected him for the trials. He, however, believes that it was the right decision he made at that point for the Animal as he would have been eventually rejected by the WCW management but Batista still holds grudges against him. 

Following the rejection, Batista moved to train under WWE Hall of Famer Afa Anoa’i at the Wild Samoan Training Center, before signing for the lucrative event in early 2000s. 

“You know what, WCW was set-up for training program there. He did come for a tryout, I did run him off but I knew WCW was not going to take him like he was. I thought I did him a great favor going to WWE because I sent him to the Cincinnati – whatever their training ground is. But he still holds it against me. But all things looking at it, it was the best thing to happen for him,” Buddy Lee Parker said in an episode of UnSKripted with Dr. Chris Featherstone. 

“Well, it wasn’t necessarily him. It was most necessarily with WCW because they didn’t have a program for him to go,” said the former WCW trainer and performer.

‘I went down there at 340 pounds’

Batista gained prominence during his time between 2002 to 2010 at the WWE as he also earned the World Heavyweight Championship four times and the WWE Championship twice. 

However, recalling the WCW tryouts, he still feels that the decision taken by Sarge was unfair as he went into the trials all bulked up. 

“I went and had this awful tryout with WCW and they ran me out the door and told me to never come back. I went down there at 340 pounds, was all jacked up, went down with a buddy of mine and Sarge and he jumped in our faces and just got on us and he wanted nothing more than to just run us out the door,” said Batista.

The top 10 WCW stars include Sting, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Goldberg, Kevin Nash, Diamond Dallas Page, Lex Luger, Booker T, Randy Savage and Scott Steiner. 

It also has prominent names like Eddie Gurrero, Big Show, Rey Mysterio and Chris Jerico in the star-studded list of wrestlers.