Batista Possibly Removed from Hall Of Fame Lineup
Batista could be removed from WWE's Hall of Fame lineup ahead of the upcoming ceremony, sparking legitimate worry among his fans. The promotion is expected to ring some changes as it pertains to this year's inductees and, for the time being, it appears that getting The Animal in the HOF is no longer part of the plan.
The former superstar's induction page on WWE.com has been removed and any attempts to go to it brings up a message reading: "You are not authorized to access this page." The WWE Hall of Fame logo has also been removed from Batista's official profile on the company's website.
Related: [Report] AEW Discussed A Contract With Future WWE Hall Of Famer
Batista was one of the personalities set to headline the 2020 HOF class but, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, wasn't able to do so as the event was pushed back to this year. According to Fightful Select, per Sportskeeda, WWE plans on taping and editing the ceremonies in advance. The publication reports the classes for 2020 and 2021 will be recorded on March 30 and April 1 respectively.
The edited show will then air on the night of Tuesday, April 6. The report also made mention of the company changing plans in relation to the initial Hall of Fame lineup, with some changes made backstage.
Eric Bischoff and Molly Holly were recently revealed to be class of 2021 entrants. as it stands, JBL, The Bella Twins, Jushin "Thunder" Liger, The Britsh Bulldog, and nWo (Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, and Kevin Nash) are set to go in as class of 2020 inductees.
No Word On The Batista Removal
The reason for what appears to be Batista's removal is still unknown but, given the magnitude of such a development, we should expect to receive an update soon enough.
For now, it looks like the joint affair could take place without involvement from Batista but, whatever the reason is, we're hoping it isn't contentious, although that would be highly unlikely.
