When Batista won the 2005 Royal Rumble, the question became whether he would use his WrestleMania 21 title match to go to SmackDown and face WWE Champion JBL, or take on his mentor, World Heavyweight Champion Triple H. Despite The Game’s best efforts to convince Batista to go to SmackDown, The Animal turned on his mentor, Batista Bomb-ing him through a table and signing the Raw contract for WrestleMania 21.

After two months of intense psychological warfare between The Cerebral Assassin and The Animal, Evolution finally exploded at WrestleMania 21 in Los Angeles. When the smoke cleared, it was the student who stood tall. Despite interference by Ric Flair and a tremendous effort from a bloodied Game, Batista was able to hit the Batista Bomb to get the pinfall, claiming his first World Heavyweight Championship.