Batista's Real-Life Locker Room Fight With Booker T May Have Been Over Women
03/30/2025 11:05 PM
One of WWE's most infamous behind-the-scenes fights is back in the spotlight—and now we may finally know why it went down.
Former WWE Superstar Mr. Kennedy opened up on the Cafe de Rene podcast and claimed Batista's real-life clash with Booker T in 2006 may have stemmed from "shrapnel heat" over The Animal's love for women. The former Mr. Money in the Bank didn't mince words when revisiting what he witnessed during their time on the red-hot SmackDown roster.
"I think Dave liked women a lot. That was his drug of choice. He’s really open about it," Kennedy said. "I think the heat was that, like, there were sometimes these women in the locker room or around, and so he, like—Booker's there with his wife. Other guys' wives come around and they go like, 'Oh, is this what happens when I'm not around?' You know, kind of thing? So it was like, you get the shrapnel heat. I think that's ultimately what it was about."
The fight between Batista and Booker T was well-documented at the time, but the exact trigger has always been murky—until now. Kennedy's comments suggest the tension may have been less about professional beef and more about the personal fallout from locker room dynamics.
And that's not all. Kenny Bolin, who managed John Cena in OVW, also had a few things to say about Batista's attitude in his early days. Speaking to Wrestling's UnSKripted, Bolin didn't hold back: "He had a very negative attitude. He got sick a lot because he said that when Jim Cornette made him shave his head, it caused him to get colds a lot." Bolin added that Batista didn't exactly have the best relationship with Cornette, despite being paired with Cornette's wife Synn during his Leviathan days. "He would miss out on practice… and he did not develop a real good relationship with Jimmy."
Despite all the backstage drama, Batista rose to the top and retired in 2019 at WrestleMania 35. These days, he's left the ring behind for Hollywood—and judging by his blockbuster track record, it's working out just fine.
