Batista - I Walk Alone DVD (Disc 3) Review

From February 13, 2010.

Dave Batista is one of the WWE's most popular stars and is a consistent main event level player. Disc 3 of his DVD features his matches against guys like The Undertaker, Edge, and Randy Orton and they are the ones that make this disc shine brightly.

Match 1: Survivor Series 2006 - World Heavyweight Championship - King Booker (c) vs. Batista
In this match, Batista looked to regain the World Heavyweight Championship that he never really lost as he had surrendered the belt earlier in the year. With the spotlight shining brightly for these two in their heated feud, they were given the main event slot of the PPV. Sadly, the match totally bombed. Where to begin, should I start with the dead crowd or the ridiculous finish? Both men just seemed so out of place in this match. I don't know if it's because there is legit heat between both men but it was just odd to see that they brought this match to an extremely slow pace. After a good 15 minutes of nothing, Batista nails Booker with the title belt and pins him to win his second World Heavyweight Championship. So the babyface regains the World Title by using heel tactics on the heel? Makes sense.
Winner: Batista
Rating: 1/2*

Match 2: SmackDown 2006 - World Heavyweight Championship - Batista (c) vs. King Booker vs. Finlay
Coming off their terrible Survivor Series main event, a rematch between the two was scheduled on SmackDown with Finlay added to the mix. Unlike the Survivor Series match, this one was filled with nonstop action throughout. And unlike the Survivor Series match, the competitors all showed some sort of motivation and determination to put on a show. With some great spots and heart racing near falls, this match is a hidden gem and I highly recommend you check this one out.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ***1/4

Match 3: WrestleMania 23 - World Heavyweight Championship - Batista (c) vs. The Undertaker
To this day, this match is one of the most talked about World Heavyweight Championship bouts in recent memory. After Batista regained his title at Survivor Series, it was pretty much a done deal that his WrestleMania opponent would be The Undertaker. Coming off an incredible feud, expectations for this one were through the roof. Thankfully, both men stepped it up and stole the whole damn show. The two have ridiculous chemistry and it was displayed here as they just seemed to click. The near falls, huge moves, and emotion that both men gave to us in this match make you thankful that you're a professional wrestling fan. It definitely ranks up there as both men's best matches. A great performance by both men and there is absolutely no reason on why you shouldn't check this match out because from bell to bell, there was just total nonstop action.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ****

Match 4: One Night Stand 2007 - World Heavyweight Championship - Steel Cage - Edge (c) vs. Batista
In mid 2007, The Undertaker went down with an injury and the World Title was given to Edge. During this period, the weight of SmackDown was placed on Edge's shoulders and it was his responsibility to sell tickets and main event shows. His first feud on SmackDown as the World Champion was against Batista. At Judgment Day, Edge defeated Batista unfairly which lead to a Steel Cage match against the two at One Night Stand. While this was a good match, nothing exciting really happened. Sure, there were some cool spots but again, there was nothing that really stood out from the countless other Steel Cage matches. The slow pacing just totally killed it for me and the crowd. Edge eventually escaped the cage to retain his title and continue the short lived Rated R Era.
Winner: Edge
Rating: **1/4

Match 5: Cyber Sunday 2007 - World Heavyweight Championship - Batista (c) vs. The Undertaker
With The Undertaker finally returning to the ring, he challenged Batista once again for the World Heavyweight Championship at Cyber Sunday. I didn't think they would be able to top their WrestleMania match and while they didn't, they still put on another hard hitting match. It was also nice to see that they were finally given the main event slot of a PPV. With this, both men knew that they had to put on a great match to send the people home happy and they did just that with such hard hitting and fast paced action throughout. This was another match that should also be checked out.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ***3/4

Match 6: Raw 2007 - Batista, Triple H, & Ric Flair vs. Randy Orton, Edge, & Umaga
After Randy Orton refused to take part of the Evolution reunion on the Raw 15th Anniversary Special, he called upon Edge & Umaga to challenge his former partners. It was a great moment to see all the members back together and really, that's what the match was all about. It was kept short and served no real purpose but still, it was a great moment that I really enjoyed watching.
Winners: Batista, Triple H, & Ric Flair
Rating: *

Match 7: SummerSlam 2008 - Batista vs. John Cena
This was the match that was years in the making, it was the WWE's two biggest stars having at it at the biggest PPV of the summer, SummerSlam. With an incredible amount of hype surrounding this one, both men knew they had to hit a home run and they did just that with an awesome match that silenced all the internet critics that have been slamming both men for their wrestling abilities. The match brought back memories of Cena's match against Triple H at WrestleMania 22 with a hostile crowd and so much hard hitting moves. Simply put, wrestling and grappling were thrown out the window. The only real criticism I have against this match is the time it was given. The match lasted for only about 13 minutes but they filled up every second of it. The finish came when Batista hit the Batista Bomb on Cena to leave SummerSlam as the better man.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ****1/4

Match 8: Armageddon 2008 - Batista vs. Randy Orton
The feud between these two men stems from their days from Evolution when they were both up and coming superstars. Seeing this match in 2008 seems out of it's place because it really belongs in either 2005 or 2006. Going into this one, I really didn't see much going for it and boy were my expectations blown into shambles. They had phenomenal chemistry and worked most of the match in a variety of ways including wrestling outside, wrestling on the top rope, and keeping it on the ground. After a ton of reversals and close finishes, the finish came when Batista reversed a move Orton was trying to land into a Batista Bomb to pin him for the victory.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ***1/2

Overall Thoughts and Rating:
While Batista may not be the greatest wrestler in the world, disc 3 proves that he can put on a great match if given the right opponent and the proper time. His matches against The Undertaker and John Cena make this disc a damn good one.
Rating: 4/5