Former WWE star Batista and WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair were backstage at Friday’s WWE SmackDown from Tampa, Florida.
Titus O’Neil, who is now a WWE Global Ambassador, shared photos from the show. O’Neil can be seen hugging Dave Bautista in one of the photos (Batista). Gerald Brisco is also present. Batista and O’Neil both live in Tampa, so they didn’t have to travel far to attend the show.
Batista has spent the last decade focusing on his acting career, but he has returned to WWE on occasion. He had a run in 2014 before returning in 2019 to face Triple H in his retirement match at WrestleMania 35.
Ric was also spotted backstage at the show, according to PWInsider.com. He was most likely present to witness his daughter, Charlotte, win the SmackDown Women’s Championship from Ronda Rousey.
After requesting his release, Ric and WWE parted ways in August 2021. Ric previously revealed that he would be backstage at the Royal Rumble and the RAW 30th Anniversary show in January. He began working with WWE again earlier this year for his documentary “Woooo! Becoming Ric Flair,” which premiered on the Peacock streaming service this past Monday.
#SmackDown Was Awesome tonight and always Great to see all of my @WWE Family ❤️ pic.twitter.com/V7qtVc8H6x
— Titus O'Neil (@TitusONeilWWE) December 31, 2022
