Through hard work and dedication, Dave earned himself a spot in Afa's WXW promotion, debuting in July 1999 as Kahn. During his seven month tenure in WXW, Batista was overpowering - to the point that WWE brass started to pay attention. Dave was rewarded for his efforts by being sent to OVW, a known WWE training ground for up-and-coming talent.

In OVW, Batista - there known as Leviathan, the "Demon from the Deep" - continued his dominant ways, making his television debut July 15, 2000, coming to the aid of OVW's stalwart vixen, Synn. He secured victories over current WWE talent the Big Show and Kane, while facing other huge stars like Steve Austin and the Undertaker. He worked with then fellow-OVWers Brock Lesnar, Sean O'Haire, John Cena and Randy Orton - now, all of which, have been on WWE television. Dave won the OVW Heavyweight Championship from Doug "Machine" Bashsam on November 11, 2001 and held it until February 20, 2002, when he lost in a controversial match to John "Prototype" Cena. From there, he fell into disfavor with then-manager Synn, demanding a title re-match and developing a sense of independence. Finally, she "sold" his contract to Reverend D'Von, and Dave's WWE career began.

Batista's national television debut came on May 9, 2002, when he appeared on SmackDown in the corner of D'Von as Deacon Batista. He carried a lockbox for donations to be made to D'Von's "ministry" and helped the Reverend to an impressive streak of victories, including one over Triple H. However, Batista was not to be overshadowed for long and he parted ways with D'von, in dramatic fashion, in September of 2002, leaving SmackDown behind.

An independent and determined David Batista made his RAW debut on November 4, 2002. The familiar dominance continued, as he racked up victory after victory, subjecting all who dared enter his path to the now feared sit-out power bomb. People took notice, including wrestling legend Ric Flair. It wasn't long before Flair and Batista formed a partnership, which slowly became something more with the addition of Randy Orton and Triple H. But before the party could truly begin, he tore his triceps muscle. After surgery and rehab, he tore it again while sprinting with his wife. After surgery, it got infected and was operated on a third time. But Batista wouldn't let a little triceps tear stop him. He returned recently on RAW, collecting the $100,000 bounty put over Goldberg's head by fellow Evolution member, Triple H. Now that Batista's injured triceps muscle has healed, there are many WWE Superstars who could be in for a rocky road.

Batista’s incredible size and athletic ability made him a superstar of such interest that when Ric Flair and Triple H decided to join forces to form Evolution, Batista (along with Randy Orton) was chosen to be one of the superstars of the next generation to be groomed for future greatness. While the injury bug represented a bump in the road for this young Superstar, upon his return he was welcomed back to Evolution with open arms--a sign that he deserves every bit of hype that he was afforded not too long ago.

Having learned from the best, Ric Flair and Triple H, he now displays the smarts to go along with his overwhelming power. Batista won his first championship when he teamed with Flair to defeat the Dudleys — the most decorated tag champs of all time — for the World Tag Team Championship at Armageddon 2003. As one of the most promising Superstars on Raw, and one of the most impressive physical specimens in the sport’s history, Batista clearly has the potential to dominate like few before him.