With 2014 on the horizon, the WWE has started to make its long-term plans for WrestleMania XXX on April 6 starting with the Royal Rumble on Jan. 26, and reports indicate that the rumored return of Dave "The Animal" Batista may lead to him winning the Royal Rumble match and then facing Randy Orton at WrestleMania for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Reports have surfaced that WWE officials are furious that the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas blew the surprise of Batista's WWE return by advertising him for a non-televised live event that will take place there on Feb. 16, and while most of the ads were removed aside from radio ads, the cover has been blown off of the WWE's plans on having Batista return for the first time since 2010.
According to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Batista, 44, who is a six-time world champion and left the WWE in 2010 due to not agreeing with its family-friendly style, is rumored to take on Orton for the championship belt at WrestleMania XXX on April 6 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans in the main event of the evening.
It had been speculated that Batista will return as a surprise entrant at this year's Royal Rumble pay-per-view, and with the known fact that the winner of the Rumble match takes on Orton at WrestleMania, it is safe to assume that Batista will make his return at the show and be the last man standing by winning the 30-man over-the-top-rope Royal Rumble match and going on to WrestleMania to take on Orton.
Batista won the Royal Rumble in 2005 by last eliminating John Cena to stand tall at the show after a controversial finish. Batista "quit" in storyline in 2010 but was always open to returning to the ring, and reportedly almost came back last spring until his acting schedule got in the way.
A Batista vs. Orton match is just the latest in a long list of rumored matches for the big show. Other speculated matches include Triple H vs. CM Punk, Daniel Bryan vs. Shawn Michaels if "The Heartbreak Kid" would come out of retirement, The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar or Sting if the WWE could land him and a rumored bout pitting Cena and Hogan against two other non-specified superstars, though it has been reported that it's doubtful that Hogan will be able to wrestle.
While Batista winning the Royal Rumble isn't guaranteed, "The Animal" will definitely return and just may win the Royal Rumble and go on to face Randy Orton at WrestleMania XXX on April 6.
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