Bruce Prichard shed some light on the original OVW gimmick of six-time WWE Champion Batista, known then as Leviathan.
On the latest episode of the Something to Wrestle podcast, Prichard mentioned that this gimmick would not have been suitable for the main roster when Batista made his debut in 2002. He described it as “a little bit too cartoony” for the main WWE programming but believed it worked well for OVW.
No, absolutely not. I thought it was just a little bit too cartoony. I say that as, you know, Goddamn Mantar. But it was It wasn’t something I think that, especially at that time that we could have brought up to the main roster and continued with I think it was a little bit too far.
Prichard emphasised that the Leviathan gimmick served as a valuable learning experience for Batista, helping him refine his skills and develop his character.
I think it was a good learning experience. I think it’s something that you know, you can take a gimmick too far. And you can always pull it back. But you can learn an awful lot when you have to go as far out as they did with Leviathan.
During his time in OVW, Batista, along with other future champions such as John Cena, Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar, honed their wrestling skills and developed unique personas. Batista recently revealed in an interview that he won’t return to WWE and “tarnish” the end of his wrestling career.
How Long Did It Take Batista To Win His First WWE Championship?
Batista debuted on the main roster in 2002 and won his first World Championship at WrestleMania 21 in 2005 from Triple H in the main event, meaning it took him just three years from his main roster debut to headline a WrestleMania and win the World Championship.
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