Dave Bautista Recalls Realizing Vince McMahon Tore His Quads At 2005 WWE Royal Rumble

The night of January 30, 2005 saw an ending to a Royal Rumble match unlike any other as both Batista and John Cena toppled over the top rope at the same time in a completely unscripted moment. This was quickly followed by a moment that even more people remember, as Vince McMahon angrily stormed to the ring to sort things out, only to tear both his quads getting in the ring, awkwardly sitting on the canvas as everyone tried to decide who the rightful winner should be.

Dave Bautista, during a recent appearance on the "Insight" podcast, recalled finding out why his boss was sitting on the mat throughout the whole ordeal. 

"I think later on, I didn't realize during the match, I didn't know why he was sitting there. I had no idea what was going on, I was just worried about the match. Then they got him out of there. I think I found out later on," said the Hollywood star.

Ultimately, Batista won the match and went on to WrestleMania 21 to end Triple H's reign as World Heavyweight Champion. He got another chance to win the Royal Rumble match in 2014, which was infamously panned by fans as Batista committed the ultimate wrestling sin of not being Daniel Bryan in 2014. Cena, on the other hand, had to wait until 2008 to get his first Rumble win, before following that up with a win in 2014.

Given that the match didn't go according to plan, Batista was rightly worried that Vince McMahon would want to speak to him about botching the end of one of WWE's most important matches of the year. 

"I got to the building and somebody immediately said, 'Vince wants to see you in his office.' I was saying, 'Ah, here it comes.' So I went to his office, and my heart is beating, just in my head I'm packing my bags," Batista said.

Fortunately, McMahon was in high spirits as "The Animal" walked into McMahon's office to see him smiling, laughing, and covered in bandages with a pair of crutches by his side. 

"I was like, 'You're not going to fire me?' And he goes, 'No, I loved it. It was real. It was so great, and it was real, and nobody knew what was going happen.' He loved it." 

Batista believes that because McMahon has accomplished virtually everything there is to accomplish in life, excitement is all he lives for. He believes the chaotic end to the Rumble match excited McMahon, which made it easier for the former WWE CEO to forgive him.

Please credit "Insight" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.