Pictures from PWI Wrestling Annual, Spring 2004
Evolution made the cover of the 2004 Wrestling Annual
December -- Match of the Month: Shawn Michaels vs Batista
"The Heartbreak Kid," who turned in a tremendous performance at Survivor Series, faced the intimidating Batista at Armageddon. Evolution was trying to use Shawn Michaels as a steppingstone for Batista, just as they had attempted with Randy Orton.
Michaels employed an unusual strategy at the start, going against the conventional wisdom that would suggest he avoid brawling with a chiseled monster like Batista. But Michaels surprised Batista by outslugging him, allowing HBK to easily fluster the big man with his usual high-flying offense. Ric Flair finally helped Batista regroup on the arena floor.
A calmer Batista wore down Michaels with knees to the midsection, clotheslines, and elbows to the head -- tactics pulled directly from Kevin Nash's playbook. Batista kneed Michaels in his vulnerable back, and then stretched HBK's back over his knee.
Michaels fought back, first with punches, and then chops, a flying forearm, an inverted atomic drop, and a DDT from mid-air. The former WWE World champion came off with a flying elbowsmash from the top rope and then attempted a superkick, but Batista caught his foot...and gave him tow thunderous power bombs. Batista tried to follow those with a tiger bomb, but Michaels, being more familiar with Japanese maneuvers, escaped and hit the Evolution member with a superkick and scored the pinfall at the 12-minute mark.
Batista, of course, vented his fury later that night, when he and Flair defeated The Dudley Boyz in a gauntlet series final for the WWE Raw tag team title.
