WWE's February 25th edition of Monday Night Raw in Atlanta, Georgia was billed as a 70th birthday celebration for pro wrestling icon, Ric Flair, but The Nature Boy never made it to the party.
At the conclusion of Monday Night Raw, current and former WWE superstars were waiting for Flair to make his way to the ring for the birthday bash when it was revealed that he had been attacked backstage by six-time World Champion Dave Bautista.
Bautista, known in the wrestling world simply as Batista, then dragged Flair into a hallway, looked straight into the camera and said, “Hey Hunter. Do I have your attention now?”
Batista has been rumored for a match against Triple H at Wrestlemania 35, and last night's closing segment just about confirms the reports.
The two superstars laid the groundwork for a potential showdown back in October, when Batista returned to the WWE for the first time in four years as part of the promotion's celebration of SmackDown 1000. During an in-ring segment, Batista thanked the fans and his former Evolution teammates, Randy Orton and Ric Flair, before taking a jab at Triple H.
“This man has single-handedly changed this business. He runs this business. This man is this business.
14-time World Champion. There is nothing, nothing that this man hasn’t done in this business…. Except beat me.”
A stare down ensued, as seen in the video embedded below, sparking rumors of a Wrestlemania bout.