WWE Over the Limit 2012: Batista Returning ?

With John Cena set to face John Laurinaitis in a one-on-one match atOver the Limit on Sunday, it is quite obvious that something crazy is going to happen in the latter stages of the match. Somebody figures to interfere, and while there are several theories as to who it will be, all signs point to Batista.

Stipulations were set on RAW that stated the match between Cena and Laurinaitis can only be won by pinfall or submission. Also, if any WWE superstar interferes, they will be fired. Furthermore, if Laurinaitis loses the match, he will be relieved of his duties as general manager of both RAW and SmackDown.

With the chips stacked against Laurinaitis, there is no doubt in my mind that he will win the match. Since the rules clearly state that no WWE superstar can interfere, it leaves one major caveat—if somebody isn’t technically employed by the company, then there aren’t any repercussions for them helping Laurinaitis.

The most popular choice right now is Big Show since he was “fired” by Laurinaitis on RAW. He could either help Laurinaitis in order to get his job back, or help Cena so that Laurinaitis gets fired and Triple H hires him back. That seems far too blatant to me, though, so I’m going to assume that Big Show’s firing is just a red herring to throw people off.

Brock Lesnar is another possibility since he “quit” the WWE and may be out to get revenge on Cena after losing to him at Extreme Rules. Lesnar is being given some time away from television right now in order to keep his appearance dates in check, though. With Paul Heyman showing up regularly, there isn’t much reason to rush Lesnar back.

That brings everything back to Batista. The Animal hasn’t competed for the WWE in exactly two years, as he left to pursue a career in acting and was supposed to dabble in mixed martial arts as well. Life after WWE hasn’t been particularly fruitful for Batista, though, and that has caused constant speculation that Batista might want to return.

When you really think about it, Batista coming back at Over the Limit makes all the sense in the world. His last match with the company was two years ago atOver the Limit, when we lost to John Cena in his attempt to regain the WWE Championship. He quit the next night on RAW and hasn’t been seen since.

In a way, it would be poetic justice for Batista to return to the site of his final defeat, only to get revenge on Cena by helping Laurinaitis beat him. Laurinaitis failed in his efforts to legitimize the WWE by signing Lesnar. Laurinaitis is attempting to knock Cena from his perch atop the company, but with Lesnar “quitting,” he needs a new go-to guy.

Batista has repeatedly said that he left the WWE because he didn’t like the direction of the product. He has long been an opponent of PG programming, and while that isn’t likely to change anytime soon, it would be logical for him to come back in order to destroy the man synonymous with the WWE product’s lack of edge in the form of Cena.

Also, although it may not mean much, Batista posted a photo of himself cutting his own hair on Twitter. Batista had grown some bizarre-looking dreadlocks, but he’s back to the clean-shaven look WWE fans are accustomed to. He very well may have just been tired of the look, but if Vince McMahon contracted Batista to return, you had better believe that he asked him to cut the dreads off.

I was never personally a big fan of Batista’s, as I felt he was limited in the ring, but I would be all for a return. His heel persona that he adopted near the end of his final run with the company was highly entertaining. Also, he appears to have decreased some of his muscle mass, so I’m optimistic it might make him a bit more mobile and fluid as a wrestler.

With Lesnar likely to feud with Triple H when he returns, Cena needs a new rival. He and Batista have done battle plenty of times in the past, but their feud two years ago was pretty solid. I would fully support another round between Cena and Batista, and if my inkling is correct, we may very well see it.