Dave Bautista, AKA Batista, is a former WWE wrestler who is also known for his roles in several movies.
The 50-year-old joined the WWE in 2000 and was one of the most successful performers in the wrestling promotion.
Batista won the World Heavyweight Championship four times during his career with the WWE and is a four-time tag champion too.
The 50-year-old also picked up the WWE Championship twice and won two Royal Rumbles during his career with the promotion.
Some of his greatest matches have been against legends in the business with feuds against Triple H, The Undertaker, John Cena and Randy Orton.
Batista also tried his hand in MMA and holds a 1-0 record. The former wrestler defeated Vince Lucero in his only fight.
The 50-year-old was one of the top performers in the business but has left WWE twice in his career.
Why did Batista leave WWE?
Batista opened up about why he left WWE in a recent interview during the Denver Pop Culture Con.
The former wrestler claimed he wanted to try acting because he knew how poor he was in it. However, WWE didn’t want Batista to try anything else and he decided to leave the company (h/t Express):
“I was stuck within the company wrestling and I wanted to pursue acting.
“They said, ‘Sorry we need you here. We need you on the shows’.
“And I said, ‘Well if you’re not going to let me pursue something I’m really passionate about, then I’m going to leave.’”
Batista to make WWE return?
The Guardians of the Galaxy star also highlighted the difficulty in returning to the ring when speaking on the Talk is Jericho podcast.
The wrestler returned to the ring for a bout with Triple H, however, he wasn’t happy with how the storyline was built (h/t ComicBook):
“It was a nightmare, it wasn’t like last time, but it was difficult,” Batista stated. “I thought if I go back now, what are we doing for five weeks, like in 2014 when I went out there and cut these really horrible promos, I was just regurgitating the same stuff.”
It is unlikely that Batista will make his WWE return anytime soon thanks to his success outside the ring.
Movie success for Batista
The former wrestler has made a name for himself in the Marvel movies. The 50-year-old is known for playing Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and also was part of the huge run for the Avengers.
Batista has also featured in other big movies such as Blade Runner: 2049, Spectre, Riddick and Escape Plan 2.
The 50-year-old has also featured in several television shows and has been parr of the WWE games for several years.
Batista net worth
The former wrestler has made quite a sum from his wrestling and acting career.
The Express reports that Batista has a net worth of $13million and he used to earn $813,000 per year from the WWE.
The wrestler has also made more than $1m from his starring roles in Spectre and Guardians of the Galaxy (h/t Express).
Batista might not return to the WWE ring soon, but the 50-year-old has several other movies planned out for the coming year.
