BATISTA

My sardonic smile barely registered on my upturned lips, yet was written all over my pale blue eyes.
“Here we go again” I said to myself, as Jeff Fenech and his colourful entourage entered the hotel lobby.
Before we go on, it need be said, that Jeff was an outright champion in a very tough sport, but I have always struggled for conversation when our paths have crossed. On top of this, I was given a very small window to shoot Dave Batista , and time was at a premium.

For the uninitiated, Dave Batista, or simply Batista as he is known to his legion of mostly American fans, is a WWF Wrestler ( I do not know what WWF stands for I confess-World Wrestling Federation I suppose), and he is at the top of this very lucrative game. Long gone are the likes of Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan – Batista is the current king, and everyone wants a piece of him. Hence, my limited time with this huge and popular figure.

Jeff and Batista posed for a few pics together, and then became engrossed in a lengthy discussion on the current Rudd governments use of fiscal policy (just joking) - I was out of earshot and more concerned with the fast disappearing cumuli nimbus clouds – when I intonated that we should make use of this ‘beautiful light’, Jeff turned around and gave me a blank nod, one that suggested beautiful light was of no concern to him.

When the exchange of formalities had finished between these two, I was able to take Batista to a grassed area on top of the Park Hyatt- where a 360 degree sweep would include the opera house, the Sydney cbd and the Harbour bridge. Batista is an enormous man, a very impressive physical specimen-6 foot 5 and 130 kgs of sinewy, hugely striated muscle. Secretly, my initial plans to challenge him in an arm wrestle were blown out the window. If pecs are your thing, and I really hope they are, Batista is a god. In fact, his pectoralis major makes Anna Nicole Smith look like a skinny twelve year old. An easy going and compliant figure in person, Batista initially acquiesced to my demands to take of his singlet off, but was stopped from doing so by his minder. A shame, but the shoot went on and his perfectly sculptured body was appropriately captured against a myriad of iconic Sydney landmarks. I hope you like the photos and we will re-visit this blog as we cover the WWF bout featuring Batista at Acer Arena in Sydney on June 15.

Post by Don Arnold