Why didn't they just leave him as leviathan?

[Guest Ace309]

Seriously, "Leviathan" fits the Bible-thumping gimmick. "Deacon Battista" sounds like a horrible gimmick name from the mid-'90s, vaguely like T.L. Hopper. "Leviathan" sounds so much more menacing.

[Guest Brian]

Because Vince didn't come up with it.

[Guest El Satanico]

Well i don't think that he'd fit into WWF tv as a "demon from the depths of the ocean" now would he.

[Guest cabbageboy]

If you think that the WWF angles are fucked up, check out Leviathan's origin in OVW.  He was cast out of the Ohio River in a satanic ceremony conducted by Synn (the most hideous woman in wrestling) and did her handy work.  I believe he later turned face and got real popular in OVW, but I haven't watched it since they did an attempted human sacrifice angle.

[Guest Ravenbomb]

wasn't Leviathan the lord and ruler of the Cenobytes or something?

[Guest netslob]

what i want to know, what does the name mean? i remember being confused when Viscera and Mideon came around, until i found out that Viscera was derived from "visceral", having to do with the stomach or gut (appropriate for him), and that Mideon was the halfway point between heaven and hell (or something to that affect).  but what the hell does "Battista" even mean?  

 

i really dug  the Leviathan name, btw.  they could'a just had D-Von say that his donations where being protected by the strongest force either heaven or hell could produce or something.  i believe the word "Leviathan" came from the Bible, anyhow.

[Guest Hogan Made Wrestling]

"but what the hell does "Battista" even mean?"

 

It means nothing, because his name is Bautista, which is his real-life last name, not Battista.

[Guest netslob]

oh,  ok, i stand corrected.

[Guest Your Olympic Hero]

How does Deacon Bautista sound at all like TL Hopper?  Leviathan would have been a kind of corny character in the WWF... I dig the new name.

[Guest Hogan Made Wrestling]

Leviathan would work in terms of a name, but the whole retarded setup behind his gimmick would have to go (total early 90s cartoon stuff).

[Guest MarvinisaLunatic]

Tazz or Cole probably cant even say "Leviathan"..

[Guest Ravenbomb]

no, Purgatory is halfway between Heaven and Hell, Mideon was one of those cities in the whole 'Moses freeing the slaves' dealy

[Guest Anglesault]

I thought Mideon was one of the cities that Yahweh (God) burnt to the ground due to a alck of righteous people...

[Guest Goodear]

Tazz or Cole probably cant even say "Leviathan"..

Yeah, cause Deacon Battista just rolls off the tongue.  I know people don't like Cole and Tazz but its not like they're a pair of mutes either.

[Guest]

They should be....

[Guest Ace309]

Yeah... I just meant the name, not the "origin story." *shudder*

 

I don't know why "Deacon Bautista" sounds so horribly stupid to me, but it does. It's not Frosty McFreeze, but...

[Guest Anglesault]

It's BAUTISTA. (Pronounces B + AW + Tea + Star -"r") not hard to say. And Deacon. It's a position in the church.  (Pronouced "dee-can" or "dee-con")

[Guest Ace309]

Well god forbid I not be able to hear the name on TV and figure out that it was an uncommon spelling, rather than the widely-used (at least in Buffalo) spelling of "Battista." It's pronounced that way, anyway.

 

And I think we all know what a deacon is. The name just feels wrong to me, that's all.

[Guest Anglesault]

I've seen Bautista more, myself, so maybe it is a Buffalo thing (Or maybe it's a NY thing in my case...)

[Guest What?!]

Bautista isn't just a Buffalo/NY thing. It's pretty much a standard Spanish last name. Like Smith for the English.

[Guest El Satanico]

I don't know...i kinda liked the sound of the whole "satanic" cult stable deal when i read about it on the OVW site. But of course i also liked The Ministry when it was suppose to be a "satanic" group before it just became another Vince ego stroke.

 

I figured they got Leviathan from the movie of the same name since he came from the depths of a body of water. But of course the name of the movie may have came from some where.

[Guest justcoz]

I don't like the Deacon Battista idea either... I also felt that Leviathan, with Sinister Minister as his manager and mouthpiece, would work just fine.  DVon should have been joined by Bull Buchanon who could have been Deacon Buchanon.  Buchanon would be perfectly capable of giving a 'sermon' on the mic and would fit the look as well...

[Guest Human Fly]

I'm still shocked the D-Von went over HHH. Maybe the Deacon and D-Von will form a tag team soon, or else he'll probably just stay in a manager type role. I agree with everyone else who said they should ditch Leviathan, it would have come off lame and if they cut the gimmick and just kept the name I don't think it would've fit either.

[Guest Repo Man jr]

It's a pretty rubbish name and reminds me of another rubbish name, Bull Buchanan.

[Guest Tha Cunnysmythe]

I thought Bautista looked a lot like Buchanan.

 

It was a cool name, though.

[Guest]

I figured they got Leviathan from the movie of the same name since he came from the depths of a body of water. But of course the name of the movie may have came from some where.

 

From my memory a Leviathan is a sea monster from ancient legends hence the film about it. I can't remember exactly where it's from all I know is it was a legend and that the Leviathan used to attack ships and swallow them whole.

 

Also his nickname was 'Demon of the Deep' in OVW

[Guest The Fett]

I don't know why everybody thinks he looks like Bull Buchanon. I don't think he looks that much like Bull at all. To me, he looks like an evil twin of Goldberg.

[Guest saturnmark4life]

I'm sure leviathan would get over better, but i love the name Deacon Bautista. Dunno why.

[Guest the 1inch punch]

The whole origin of Leviathan was dreamed up by Jim Cornette, what do u expect

[Guest Vyce]

If they had to have called him anything, how about "Deacon Levi"?  Levi is certainly a religious / Biblical name, and once he turns on D-Von (which he ultimately will), he can easily convert back to "Leviathan" with no problem.