Monday Night Raw: Batista determined to become WWE World Heavyweight Champion
Batista revealed the reason for his return on Raw: the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Last Updated: 21/01/14 6:30pm
The Animal made his first WWE appearance in almost four years on the final Raw before the Royal Rumble - and told Randy Orton that he plans to win the multi-man melee and fight for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania.
Batista - who floored Alberto Del Rio with a Batista Bomb later in the show after Mexico's Greatest Import had beaten Rey Mysterio - refused to shake Orton's hand when they met face-to-face, but The Viper received worse treatment from John Cena.
The reigning WWE World Heavyweight Champion responded to his shock defeat to Kofi Kingston on last week's edition of Monday Night Raw by battering Cena's father, who was watching in the crowd.
And Cena - who will try to prise the former Evolution member's strap at Sunday's Royal Rumble event - exacted his revenge in Ohio when, thanks to help from Kingston, he administered a lengthy assault on Orton before the Viper scampered away.
Ruse
Daniel Bryan, meanwhile, revealed his brief foray into The Wyatt Family was purely a ruse in order to discover what makes the faction tick, but he made Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan tick with rage before the evening had ended.
The submission specialist will go one-on-one with Wyatt at the Royal Rumble and his impromptu beat-down of the Eater of Worlds allowed The Usos to get the better of Harper and Rowan in a pulsating tag-team affair.
Elsewhere, a fracas ensued when Big Show called out Brock Lesnar - with the Beast Incarnate, once again, being tossed around the squared circle by The World's Largest Athlete - while Fandango defeated Xavier Woods, and The Shield overcame Cody Rhodes, Goldust and Big E Langston.
Plus, The Funkadactyls stunned AJ Lee and Tamina Snuka, and CM Punk was dealt a harsh blow after refusing to accept an apology from Kane following his attack at the hands of WWE's Director of Operations on Smackdown.
The Second City Saint cracked the Big Red Monster over the head with a microphone and, after besting New Age Outlaw, Billy Gunn, in singles action, was informed that he would enter the Royal Rumble match as the number-one entrant.
Royal Rumble booking details
WWE Royal Rumble will be shown on Sky Sports Box Office (channel 743) and Sky Sports HD Box Office (channel 752) at 1am on Sunday, January 26 (Monday morning).
WWE Royal Rumble will be repeated on Sky Sports Box Office (channel 743) BUT NOT Sky Sports HD Box Office (channel 752) between 9am, Monday, January 27 and 9pm, Saturday, February 1. Repeats showing will last for three hours.
The event is priced at £14.95 for UK customers, €21.95 for customers in the Republic of Ireland.
You can order WWE Royal Rumble from Friday, January 17 by pressing the Box Office button on your remote. Select 'sports & events' and follow the on-screen instructions.
Viewers can call 08442 410 888 from Friday, January 17 to book WWE Royal Rumble. (There may be an additional charge for telephone bookings).
You can also book WWE Rumble online from Friday, January 17 by visiting this link: https://my.sky.com/orderboxoffice/
Cable customers should contact their local cable operator.
