Dave Bautista, popularly known as Batista had an illustrious and impactful career in WWE. Batista made a name for himself as a dominant force in professional wrestling, capturing multiple championships and leaving a lasting legacy. Batista’s WWE journey began in 2002 when he signed with the company’s developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW).
As part of Evolution, Batista experienced early success. As he aligned himself with some of the biggest names in the industry such as Triple H and Ric Flair. However, In 2005, The Animal embarked on his singles journey by winning the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 21. Following the victory, he solidified himself as a top guy in the company, winning multiple championships and accolades heading forward.
From 2005 on, Batista was one of the biggest WWE superstars. However, as per him, he was always treated like a secondary top guy to John Cena. In an interview with GQ, Dave described that he and Cena were the faces of SmackDown and Raw respectively at that time. However, Cena was featured in films, TVCs, and magazines, whereas, he was just headlining shows and PPVs.
Batista further stated, “In fact, there was one point where he was off making a film and I was headlining both sets of shows and the pay-per-views. It was just a feeling of, ‘We’re not getting equal opportunities’”.
”I DON’T WANNA KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU THINK!………
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Say something inspiring, John! We wanna hear it. The whole WWE Universe wants to hear what John Cena has to say. You can’t beat me, John, and deep down you know it.”
– Batista pic.twitter.com/MI1P3MUXxe— A░m░a░n (@AmanJhaPro) December 25, 2020
Back in 2005, Vince McMahon decided to pull the trigger on young stars like John Cena and Batista after all the previous top guys left. As a matter of fact, Batista was reportedly expected to be the face of the company. However, Cena becoming a bigger star instead was an organic process, as WWE kept going with the idea considering the reaction of fans.
Dave Bautista in his comparison with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Following an extremely successful wrestling career, Dave Bautista decided to transition himself into an actor. In 2010, after leaving WWE, Dave was keen on the idea of turning into an actor from wrestler. Eventually, he burst onto the Hollywood scene and tasted great success in his acting career as well. However, comparisons with Dwayne Johnson are inevitable if you are a wrestler-turned-actor.
Batista and The Rock were all-time greats in the ring, but who transitioned better into Hollywood? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/f9bjhDATIH
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 31, 2023
The comparisons were also brought in the same GQ interview. Nonetheless, Batista made it clear that he never intended to become the next Dwayne Johnson. “I never wanted to be the next Rock, I just want to be a good f*cking actor. A respected actor,” said Bautista.
It cannot be denied that Dave Bautista has gained prominence with his Hollywood stint over the years. However, The Rock is still considered the most successful wrestler-turned-actor in history.