Pro wrestling star Batista never expected to be mobbed in his first visit to the country of his Ilocano grandparents’ birth.
Batista was here for three days to promote two World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) "SmackDown" shows scheduled on Oct. 21 and 22 at the Araneta Coliseum. He left last Saturday night with warm memories of his sentimental "homecoming."
"Everywhere he went, he was surrounded by fans," said Grace Magno who coordinated the trip. "He had appearances at the Mall of Asia, Ali Mall, Gateway and Farmers Plaza and he couldn’t believe the enthusiasm of the fans. I couldn’t count how many autographs he signed. He described it as the biggest and best reception he’s ever experienced in a promotional tour."
Batista arrived with WWE marketing director Kevin Allton.
Batista, 37, is half-Filipino, half-Greek. His real name is David Michael Bautista. His parents separated when he was eight. His Filipino father David, Sr. worked as a hairdresser in Washington, D
To honor his ancestry, Batista recently added a colored tattoo on his left triceps of the Filipino and Greek flags merged into one. His wife Angie, from whom he is now separated, is a Filipina and a survivor of ovarian cancer. He has two teenaged daughters with Angie and a stepdaughter from a previous marriage.
There is a red Kanji lettering of "Angel," a tribute to his Filipina wife, on his left biceps. Other tattoos on his sculpted body are a large Chinese dragon on his back, a signature design on his upper right biceps and a small sun on his stomach.
Life was difficult for Batista in his early years. He and his siblings lived with their mother when his father left and they were dirt poor. Once, they only had a pot of burned beans to eat for a week. Their mother burned the beans in the oven by mistake.
Batista was well-known in police circles way before he became a wrestler. When he was only 13, Batista was arrested for stealing cars. Then, working as a nightclub bouncer, he was jailed for nearly decapitating two roughhousers despite claiming to fight in self-defense.
Turning pro in 1997, Batista was determined to make it big as a wrestler. Reaching the top wasn’t easy. Early in his career, he tried out for a spot in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) but was kicked out of training camp. WCW officials said he wasn’t cut out for the job.
Batista persisted, toiling in the Ohio Valley Wrestling tour before joining the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which later became the WWE, in 2002. He went on to become one of the WWE’s hottest stars, claiming three tag team titles (twice with Ric Flair and once with Rey Mysterio), topping the "Royal Rumble" and capturing the world heavyweight championship.
Ironically, the WCW — which had rejected Batista’s application — was bought out by the McMahon family and fused into WWE with WWF.
Early this year, Batista tore his right tricep and was forced to relinquish his world title. He is now on the comeback trail and determined to regain the throne.
In the Aug. 2006 premier issue of the WWE Magazine, Batista said he’s back in fighting form after undergoing an operation where doctors took a graft from his hamstring and inserted it in his arm to repair the torn muscle. He has had four surgeries on his right triceps — three reattachments and one, to clean up an infection.
Batista revealed in an interview with Rob Bernstein that he suffers from asthma, which is why he has to be cool, in and out of the ring.
"One thing I’ve learned is to stay calm," he said. "Whether during an argument, a fight or a match. You never want to get tense and lose control. And because I have asthma and struggle with my cardio, it’s even more important that I keep my emotions in check."
On the incident where he almost tore off the heads of two men, Batista said: "I fought two guys who were beating up on my fellow bouncers outside a D club. By the time I was finished with them, they were lying on the ground with their eyes rolling into the back of their heads. At the time, I was very scared they were going to die. Fortunately, they didn’t. I was arrested that night but the cops let me off after they found out what happened."
Here are a few other private things about Batista:
He listens to Skid Row, devours Krispy Kreme doughnuts (usually gulping down a dozen in a sitting), dreams of playing the role of Dracula in a movie, drinks Malibu and a club soda and singles out Stephanie McMahon of the WWE family as the hardest slapper he’s seen or heard.
In a funny revelation, Batista recalled smelling a nasty fart from the Big Show during a match.
"I know guys who have lost it in the ring," he recounted. "During one match, I covered Big Show only to find myself in a fog of stink. I started cussing at him and he just laughed."
Tickets for both "SmackDown’s shows are now on sale. Prices are P400, P900, P2,000, P3,300, P3,500, P5,000 and P10,000. The Araneta Coliseum and Solar Entertainment are joining forces to stage the back-to-back blockbusters.