Dave Bautista

At 55 years old, Dave Bautista has this physical status:

David Michael Bautista Jr. (born January 18, 1969) is an American actor, former professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist, and bodybuilder. Bautista began his wrestling career in 1999 and then joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 2000.

He rose to fame under the ring name Batista from 2002 to 2010 and then became a six-time world champion by winning the World Heavyweight Championship four times and twice, as well as the WWE Championship twice.

At 282 days, he holds the longest reign as the World Heavyweight Champion, having won the World Tag Team Championship three times (twice with Ric Flair and once with John Cena) and the WWE Tag Team Championship once (with Rey Mysterio).

He was the champion of the 2005 Royal Rumble contest and went on to headline WrestleMania 21, one of the top five highest-grossing pay-per-view tournaments in professional wrestling history.

Bautista re-signed with WWE in 2013, went on to win the 2014 Royal Rumble match and headline WrestleMania XXX before leaving in June.

Batista returned to WWE in October 2018 and defeated Triple H at WrestleMania 35 in April 2019, before retiring from wrestling. Bautista began acting in 2006, appeared in The Man with the Iron Fists (2012), Riddick (2013), James Bond's Spectre (2015), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017).

He has appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Drax the Destroyer in the films Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).

Since 2009, he has appeared in several direct-to-video films. Bautista's career began in August 2012 when she signed with Classic Entertainment & Sports to compete in mixed martial arts (MMA).

He won his lone MMA fight on October 6, 2012, defeating Vince Lucero via TKO in the first round.

Early life

Bautista was born in Washington, D.C., and the son of Donna Raye (née Mullins) and hairdresser David Michael Bautista. His mother is of Greek descent, and his father is the son of Filipino immigrants. His paternal grandfather served in the Philippine military, served as a taxi driver and barber, and then took care of the family. His mother is a lesbian. Bautista has claimed that he lived in poverty and that he had a difficult life—that was before he turned 90, three murders took place on his front lawn. He was stealing cars from as young as 13 years old. He was estranged from his parents and living on his own by 17, by then. "I am proud of my parents," he later said. They are compassionate, honest, and hard-working people. "They taught me the benefits of working hard."

He was a nightclub bouncer before being arrested after a confrontation that resulted in two patrons wounded, one of whom was rendered unconscious. He was sentenced to one year of probation following a hearing. He worked as a lifeguard before embarking on a bodybuilding career, which he attributes to his recovery. After a feeling of helplessness after a coworker asked a coworker to loan him money so he could buy Christmas gifts for his children, he decided to turn his life around and become a wrestler.

Bautista used the word "Batista" in his wrestling career, with a modified spelling. Dave Bautista, the actor, reverted to his name's original spelling, and is billed as Dave Bautista.

Personal life

In 1990, Bautista married Glenda, his first wife. Before divorced in 1998, they had two children together, Keilani (born 1990) and Athena (born 1992). On October 13, 1998, Bautista married Angie, his second wife. They have a son named Oliver, and they divorced in 2006. Bautista had two grandsons through Keilani by the age of 40. He became an avid collector of vintage metal lunchboxes during his marriage to Angie. Bruce Lee is his favorite, as it features Bruce Lee on it. Angie's E.T. was the starting point of the collection, which was released in the 1970s. She did not want to break it so he bought a second one. Sarah Jade, a competitive pole dancer, married him in October 2015. In early 2019, they began dating in early 2019.

Bautista is 6 foot 4 inches tall and weighs 275 pounds as of August 2020. He has several tattoos, including a large dragon on his back, red kanji lettering on his upper left biceps, and a small sun on his abdomen that encircles his navel, including a large dragon on his upper right biceps. He also has a tattoo of the flags of Greece and the Philippines on his arm. When taking time off due to a back injury in 2009, he had both upper arms covered in thick, tribal style tattoos, and the word "DC soldier" was added to his right biceps.

Bernie Sanders was backed by Bautista in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries. Joe Biden endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 United States presidential race and appeared in a commercial for his presidential campaign.

Bautista engaged in a legitimate fist fight with Booker T. During a commercial shoot for the 2006 SummerSlam pay-per-view, both men and the woman described their sides of the story. Bautista believed himself to be better than the rest of the field due to his main-event status and a quick climb to achieve it. Booker was lauded by the backstage for speaking out against Bautista about his behavior.

Bautista was included on a list of people who allegedly purchased anabolic steroids illegally by ESPN in August 2007. Bautista denied the charges, saying that he was "fully tested by the WWE" and was "in full compliance with the WWE Wellness Program."

Source

Professional wrestling career

Bautista tried out at the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Power Plant, but Sgt told him he would never make it in the wrestling industry. Buddy Lee Parker was a volunteer at the University of Texas. He then joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he recommended that he enroll in Afa Anoa's Wild Samoa wrestling academy, where he would train and compete in Anoa's World Xtreme Wrestling (WXW) promotion. On October 30, 1999, he made his debut as Khan. Bautista has also worked with Marrese Crump in Muay Thai and Eskrima. He worked at Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and has earned his purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and has earned his first rank.

Bautista was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), a WWF development territory, after signing with the WWF in 2000. He made his OVW debut later this year under the ring name Leviathan, where he immediately joined Synn. He went undefeated until being defeated at Christmas Chaos by Kane, with support from Stone Cold Steve Austin. Doug Basham of "The Machine" later won the OVW Heavyweight Championship before losing the belt to The Prototype. Bautista left OVW a few months after being promoted to WWE's main roster.

Bautista started appearing on non-televised WWE shows when he was still in OVW. On an episode of SmackDown, he began his televised WWE career on May 9, 2002. Reverend D-Von is the deacon Batista, a heel enforcer for Reverend D-Von. He made his WWE debut in a tag team match against Faarooq and Randy Orton, pinning Orton. Orton attempted to defeat D-Von and Batista with different partners over the course of weeks, but ultimately lost each time. After D-Von mistakenly punched him, Batista suffered his first defeat in a match against Rikishi, allowing Rikishi to take advantage and pin Batista. Batista and D-Von argued over the coming weeks, with Batista eventually opting for D-Von. Batista defeated D-Von on November 14 to put an end to their feud. He was assigned to the Raw brand and renamed Batista after splitting with D-Von, and was renamed Batista. He aligned himself with Ric Flair and feuded with Kane, whom he defeated at Armageddon.

Batista joined Triple H, Ric Flair, and Randy Orton in January 2003 to create the heel stable Evolution. Batista was ruled out for much of 2003 after breaking his right triceps muscle against Orton in a Raw live match against The Dudley Boyz. Batista re-tore his triceps while recovering from the injury, extending his stay on the sidelines. Batista appeared in a match between Goldberg and Shawn Michaels on October 20 episode of Raw, interfering. The World Tag Team Champions, Armageddon, Batista, and Ric Flair were crowned. Triple H champion the World Heavyweight Championship and Randy Orton the Intercontinental Championship, while Randy Orton the Intercontinental Championship champion. Batista and Flair were unable to win until the 2004 episode of Raw, when they were defeated by Booker T and Rob Van Dam. They regained control of Raw after losing them to Chris Benoit and Edge on the April 19 episode of Raw, eventually beating Booker and Van Dam on the March 22 episode to reclaim the titles.

In kayfabe, the friendship between Batista and Triple H began to deteriorate. Triple H insulted Batista after losing to Chris Jericho. Batista teased leaving Evolution that night, but that he was also a part of evolution and that they tricked everybody. Despite this tactic, Batista began behaving more like a celebrity over the next few weeks in comparison to Evolution's heel tactics. Batista protested certain events as Triple H and Ric Flair boasted how they threatened and/or killed Jim Ross, Danny Hodge, and Stacy Keibler at one particular time. Nevertheless, he continued to demonstrate his dedication to Triple H and Evolution by running down to the ring and assisting them in matches.

Triple H knew that Batista would pose a threat to his World Heavyweight Championship as 2005 began. Triple H suggested that he not enter the Royal Rumble, saying that doing so would be selfish of him and that he should simply concentrate on Triple H retaining the title rather than focusing on Triple H's retaining the honor. Batista refused to win the Rumble, earning the right to compete in the main event of WrestleMania 21 against the World Champion of his choice. Triple H devised a scheme to have Batista run over in a limousine resembleing JBL's. Batista did not want Evolution's assistance and decided to confront JBL by himself. Triple H demanded that Evolution stick together and accompanied Batista in the process, saving him from the oncoming vehicle. Batista became aware of the scheme while sneakily eavesdropping on fellow Evolutionists and promising him a match with the World Heavyweight Champion Triple H at WrestleMania 21, thus ending Evolution and fully turning face. Batista pretended that he'd sign with SmackDown!, giving Triple H and Flair the "thumbs up," but "thumbs down" before attacking the pair. He emphasized his departure by powerbombing Triple H through the table used for contract signing.

In the main event of WrestleMania 21, Batista claimed the World Heavyweight Championship on April 3rd. 21 The first-ever number of purchases for any non-boxing pay-per-view sports is 1.09 million worldwide, beating WrestleMania 21's highest ever number of customers. "The match between Batista and Triple H was described by sports writer Dave Meltzer as "the pinnacle of one of [WWE's] best storylines in years." At Backlash, Batista defeated Triple H in a rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship. On the May 23 episode of Raw, Batista retained his title against Edge, while Triple H, who helped Triple H brutally beat the champion in a Cell match at Vengeance, has lost his title. Batista won the game at Vengeance, retaining his position for the second time. Batista became the first wrestler to defeat Triple H in a Cell match with this win.

Batista was drafted to the SmackDown squad on June 30 on episode SmackDown! Brand was the last pick in the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery, making a surprise appearance at JBL, who was celebrating his triumph in a six-man elimination match to crown the inaugural "SmackDown" in the inaugural "SmackDown" competition. "Champions are the king of the world" After the referee saw Batista use a steel chair, JBL defeated Batista at The Great American Bash by disqualification. They met again in a No Holds Barred match in which Batista pinned JBL in which Batista pinned JBL. On the September 9 episode of SmackDown, the feud came to an end. Batista is still championing his first championship. WWE.com reported that Batista sustained a muscle tear in his back at the taping of SmackDown's November 11 episode, despite keeping the title in a feud with Eddie Guerrero at No Mercy. Big Show and Kane choked over a double chokeslam due to a double choke. On the November 18 episode of SmackDown!, Batista had plans to defend the title against Eddie Guerrero and Randy Orton, but the match did not take place due to Guerrero's unexpected death on November 13, the date of the taping. During the Raw and SmackDown contests, the Batista paid tribute to Guerrero. Guerrero's memory is honored in a tribute show.

Batista led Team SmackDown!

Before Survivor Series, Team Raw engaged in an inter-brand feud before Survivor Series. In the weeks leading up to Survivor Series in an on-camera explanation for Batista's injury, the feud saw Big Show and Kane choked Bamming Batista many times. Batista was able to help his team win the game at Survivor Series. On the December 2 episode of SmackDown!, Batista saved Rey Mysterio from Big Show and Kane, resulting in a match with Mysterio with Batista against Big Show and Kane at Armageddon.

Batista and Mysterio defeated WWE Tag Team Champions MNM in a match dedicated to Eddie Guerrero on December 16, making them the double champions. The match between Big Show and Kane at Armageddon turned into a Champions versus. The Champions' match is an annual event that takes place in the United States. At Armageddon, Batista and Mysterio lost to Big Show and Kane. MNM defeated Batista and Mysterio after the returning Mark Henry helped MNM regained the WWE Tag Team Championship two weeks later on SmackDown! During the interference, Henry Slammed Batista and gave the World's Best Slam ever. Henry and his team were defeated again in a steel cage match the following week, and Batista and Mysterio were defeated once more. Batista tore his right triceps during a match with Mark Henry at a house show on January 6, causing him to miss the World Heavyweight Championship at the SmackDown! The two days after surpassing Triple H's previous record of 280 days for the longest reigning champion, he was tapings on January 13. Batista Unleashed, Batista's book, he said he felt Henry was "careless" during their match, and he never gave Batista any warning that the change was coming. On January 12, Batista underwent successful surgery on his arm.

Batista performed at No Way Out and told the crowd that if his arm had recovered, he would return to regain the World Heavyweight Championship. He interrupted a Randy Orton interview at WrestleMania 22, bringing SmackDown! The World Heavyweight Championship will be returning to him by WrestleMania 23.

During SmackDown's episode on July 7, Batista made his official return. Mark Henry and his partner were both evicting and launching a feud immediately. Batista won a six-man tag match with teammates Rey Mysterio and Bobby Lashley on Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIII, defeating World Heavyweight Champion King Booker, Finlay, and Mark Henry. Henry was properly injured and was ruled out of the match between the two teams at The Great American Bash, effectively delaying a potential rivalry between the two teams after being postponed due to Batista's first injury.

Mr. Kennedy's answer to a question asking for a healthy Henry was rejected by batista. Batista lost this match by disqualification for failing to hold choking Mr. Kennedy with his boots, but they continued to scream at Kennedy, resulting in a laceration on his forehead that revealed his cranium and necessitated more than 20 stitches to close. In a rematch on SmackDown's July 28 episode, Batista lost another match with Kennedy by countout. On the August 4 episode of SmackDown! We finally defeated Kennedy by pinfall before finally defeating him by pinfall.

On the August 1 episode of ECW, Batista appeared in the match by disqualification but failed to win the championship because titles cannot change hands by disqualification. He then set his sights on King Booker's World Heavyweight Championship, with the two teams fighting it out for the title match at SummerSlam on August 20. However, Batista had victory in this match by disqualification. Batista's quest for the title continued, losing it in a deadly-four way at No Mercy in October, as well as Finlay and Bobby Lashley, before winning the World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series on November 26. Armageddon, Batista's next month, John Cena and John Cena united against King Booker and Finlay, putting an end to the feud.

Batista's brief rivalry with Mr. Kennedy over the championship began in 2007. At the Royal Rumble on January 28, Batista retained the championship over Kennedy. The Undertaker, the winner of the Royal Rumble match, was Batista's next challenger. The two formed a reluctant alliance to face John Cena and Shawn Michaels at No Way Out in February, which they lost after Batista turned on Undertaker midway through the game. Batista lost the World Heavyweight Championship to The Undertaker on April 1, according to WrestleMania 23. They continued their feud with a Last Man Standing match at Backlash later this month, which resulted in a draw. On the May 11 episode of SmackDown!, the two wrestled again in a Steel Cage Match that ended in a draw. Edge took advantage of the match and won the money from The Undertaker by investing in his Money in the Bank contract. At Judgment Day, One Night Stand (in a Steel Cage Match), and Vengeance: Night of Champions followed; Batista later challenged Edge unsuccessfully for the World Heavyweight Championship. Batista would no longer have a chance of winning the World Heavyweight Championship, according to Edge, who was crowned champion.

At The Great American Bash, Batista accepted The Great Khali's open challenge. Edge relinquished the title due to an injury the week before The Great American Bash, and Khali took the gold medal at a Battle Royal and knocking out Batista. In a Triple Threat match where Khali retained the title, Batista and Kane, Edge's champions, met Khali at The Great American Bash. After Khali used a steel chair, the Batista defeated Khali at SummerSlam, Khali kept the title, so Khali kept it. After eight straight challenges, Batista eventually claimed his third World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Khali in a triple threat match that featured Rey Mysterio at Unforgiven. In a Punjabi Prison Match at No Mercy, where Batista retained his status, his first challenge was from The Great Khali. He won the match by leaping from the inner bamboo structure to the outer one, shortening his escape route and defeating Khali to the ground.

The pair rekindled their feud at Unforgiven on Sunday, where the fans selected Stone Cold Steve Austin as the Special Guest Referee. After two Batista Bombs, the Undertaker was pinned by a batista. In a Cell match at Survivor Series, the feud continued with a Hell. Edge returned and interfered during the match by handing The Undertaker a con-chair-to. To keep the World Heavyweight Championship, he pulled an unconscious Batista on top of The Undertaker's pinfall. Edge defeated Edge for a Triple Threat match at Armageddon, along with The Undertaker for Batista's World Heavyweight Championship.

Batista appeared in the Royal Rumble and made the final three before being eliminated by Triple H at No Way Out, but was last defeated by The Undertaker. He defeated Umaga in an interpromotional match at WrestleMania XXIV. After Shawn Michaels beat Ric Flair in a Career Threatening match (forcing Flair to retire), Batista and Michaels launched a feud with Michaels, calling him selfish and egotistic. Chris Jericho as the special guest referee made the confrontation at Backlash. Michaels triumphed after suffering a knee injury while performing Sweet Chin Music. Batista beat Michaels at One Night Stand in a stretcher match, effectively ending the feud.

During the 2008 WWE Draft, Batista was moved from SmackDown to the Raw brand on June 23. Batista defeated Edge on Raw, allowing CM Punk to cash in his Bank account on Edge after losing the World Heavyweight Championship from Edge at Night of Champions. At The Great American Bash, this set up a championship match between Batista and Punk, resulting in a double disqualification after Kane interfered and assaulted both guys. Batista and Punk had a rematch the next night, but Batista disqualified after being struck by JBL. He inadvertently punched Batista as JBL ducked as John Cena came to the ring to face JBL. This was the start of a Cena and Batista campaign leading up to SummerSlam, for which Raw general manager Mike Adamle announced a match. This was the first time a match between the two brands would take place since they had both been on separate brands since 2002. Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase won the World Tag Team Championship on August 4 in Raw, Batista and Cena, making Batista the three-time World Tag Team Champions. The World Tag Team Championships on Raw, Batista, and Cena will be contested in Rhodes and DiBiase next week. The two girls had to be separated by multiple authorities after losing their positions. Batista beat Cena at SummerSlam, effectively injuring Cena's neck in the process. Batista then competed in the World Heavyweight Championships at Unforgiven, and was eight seconds away from being a four-time world champion, but Chris Jericho stepped in and pinned Kane in the dying seconds. Batista defeated Jericho for his fourth World Heavyweight Championship, defeating Stone Cold Steve Austin as the special guest referee. Batista's reign lasted eight days until Jericho claimed the title in a Steel Cage match on November 3.

Batista continued to retaliate against former Evolution partner Randy Orton, and R-Truth, a Batista squad led by CM Punk, Kofi Kingston, Matt Hardy, and R-Truth to face Randy Orton, Shelton Benjamin, William Regal, Cody Rhodes, and Mark Henry at Survivor Series. Orton's team wreaked havoc in the championship game for his squad, defeating Orton pinning Batista. Batista defeated Orton in Armageddon, where his rivalry with Orton continued. Batista was put into a handicap match against The Legacy as his partner on December 15 on Raw, with John Cena as his partner. Orton struck Batista with a punt to the head during the match. Due to a storyline head injury, Batista was forced to withdraw and place out of action indefinitely. Batista elected to have surgery to repair a hamstring tear, according to WWE.com. His hamstring was pulled out of action at SummerSlam, in the same match where John Cena was forced out of action due to a neck injury. He was expected to be out of action for six to eight months.

After WrestleMania 25, Batista returned to The Legacy to save Triple H, Shane McMahon, and Vince McMahon (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, and Ted DiBiase Jr.). Vince McMahon then announced Batista to compete with WWE Champion Triple H and Shane McMahon in The Legacy at Backlash. Batista had brought out a chair during the match, but Triple H tried to prevent him from being disqualified (which would have cost Triple H the championship). Triple H's title was jeopardized, despite the fact that it was lost to Orton. Following a commotion by John Cena, Batista took a singles match against Big Show to become the top contender for the WWE Championship at Judgment Day, which he won by disqualification. Batista defeated Orton in a rematch at Extreme Rules in a Steel Cage match for his first WWE Championship. However, Batista was unable to enter the title on the June 8 episode of Raw due to a staged brutal assault by Orton and the Legacy. Batista later reported to have developed a genuine torn left biceps similar to those he suffered in 2006. Legacy was on-screen for his injury.

Batista's arm was also in a vice on the September 14 episode of Raw. Randy Orton, who assumed that Batista was defunct, denied that Batista's career was over. Batista deactivated his arm vice, which turned out to be fake, and charged Orton. He later announced that he did not resign but rather go to SmackDown. He defeated Orton in a no-holds barred match that was supposed to be his last match on Raw later that night.

Batista defeated Unified WWE Tag Team Champions Jeri-Show (Chris Jericho and Big Show) in singles competition following his return to SmackDown. These two victories culminated in a tag team championship match against Jeri-Show and his partner Rey Mysterio on October 4 in a Cell, which Jeri-Show captured. Batista lost the World Heavyweight Championship in a Fatal Four-Way match involving CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, and champion The Undertaker in the same month. Mysterio broke down Batista's pin on Undertaker, costing him the game and the championship. Batista and Mysterio came close to winning the game, but Batista said they were tired of being so close and told Mysterio that he was going to stabbed in the back and told him to rip his head off. For the first time since 2005, the Batista proceeded to brutally assault Mysterio, turning heel. After delivering three Batista Bombs to Mysterio, Batista defeated Mysterio on November 22 at Survivor Series, where Batista defeated them by referee stoppage. On the December 11 episode of SmackDown, the Batista defeated Mysterio once more in a street brawl. Batista versus Undertaker in a Chairs match at TLC on December 13: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. Batista had initially won the match and the title, but SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long changed the decision after Batista had struck Undertaker with a weak blow behind the referee's back. With The Undertaker winning and retaining the trophy, the match was resurgent. Batista lost in a top-one contenders match for the World Heavyweight Championship in Mysterio, five days later, after interference from Batista.

Batista made the Royal Rumble match at number 30 in January 2010, but he was unable to win because John Cena had been eliminated by John Cena. Batista became involved in WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and Bret Hart's feud by assisting McMahon in attacking Hart; John Cena attempted to rescue Hart but was assaulted by Batista. After Cena defeated Hart in an Elimination Chamber match, Batista received Batista for the WWE Championship immediately after Cena won the championship in an Elimination Chamber match on February 21 at Elimination Chamber. Batista won the contest and thus his second WWE Championship, resulting in Batista's return to Raw. Batista lost the WWE Championship to John Cena in a rematch on March 28, snapping his reign at 35 days. Batista was rematching for the title in a Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules on April 25, but Cena was defeated by Cena after Cena duct-taped his legs around a ring post, banning him from standing up. Batista and Cena clashed over the Limits in a "I Quit" match on May 23, but he failed to regain the championship from Cena, but Cena threatened to give him the Attitude Adjustment off the roof of a vehicle. Cena did so anyway, hurling Batista off the car and into the stage below.

Batista opened the show in a wheelchair and announced that he would seek court action against Cena and WWE for his injuries (which he revealed in 2014 as a legitimate compression fracture of his L1 spine). New Raw General Manager Bret Hart, who ordered him to face an injured Randy Orton on a new Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view, has interrupted his promotion. After Hart picked Orton as the winner by forfeit, Batista retaliated and resigned from the company. On WWE's website, his profile was then moved to the alumni section. In a recent interview, he said he left WWE because he "did not like the direction the company was going in."

On the December 23, 2013 episode of Raw, a vignette announced the revival of Batista. This entry was published on Raw's January 20, 2014. Batista returned to face WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton on January 20 Raw, promising to take the 2014 Royal Rumble match and becoming the champion at WrestleMania XXXX. Batista Bombed Alberto Del Rio, who had been trash talking to him for several weeks, later that night, and then struck him with a Batista Bomb. Batista entered the Rumble match at number 28 and later stunned Roman Reigns to win the tournament for the fifth time in a row, and the first and so far only multi-time Royal Rumble champion to win from the same entrant number (28). As Daniel Bryan did not participate in the game, the audience reacted angrily toward Batista's victory. Despite a positive response at the start, the audience erupted in their booing of Batista after Reigns was banned. Batista mocked Bryan and waved his middle finger at the audience after the show went off the air. Batista's reasoning that returning as a celebrity was a bad idea, considering that the followers were so invested in Daniel Bryan's "Yes Movement." Batista was assaulted by Del Rio on February 3rd and was ultimately beaten before chasing him away. The Batista retaliated the following week, powerbombing Del Rio through the broadcast table.

Batista was booed by the fans during matches against Del Rio at the Elimination Chamber and the following Raw. Batista won the game at Elimination Chamber, but the chanting of "Boo-tista" began in the middle of the match. Batista spoke to the audience on February 28's episode of SmackDown, claiming that he did not return to be liked, then mocked the other wrestlers, Bryan in particular, claiming that they were not "real guys" and promised to be the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Batista vs. Orton was a major event in the Elimination Chamber, but Bryan was called to the match after beating Triple H in the first round of the competition. After Bryan forced him to participate in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, the batista ultimately lost the triple threat match at WrestleMania.

Raw, Batista, and Orton all came together to battle The Usos for the WWE Tag Team Championship next night, but the match was called off due to a double count out. Batista and Orton, as well as Kane, had attacked Bryan early in the night, causing the match to be called off by Triple H. After an 11-on-3 handicap match against the Shield on April 14, Randy Orton, Triple H, and Randy Orton came down to the ring to assault The Shield. Evolution failed to The Shield under both Extreme Rules and Payback. After Triple H denied WWE Rawlings a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on June 2, Batista resigned WWE. Batista actually dropped the WWE as a result of creative inconsistencies that followed.

Batista said in April 2015 that he would be interested in returning to WWE, but only at non-televised events. In 2016, he was scheduled to appear at WrestleMania 32, but turned down the invitation. He recalled that his best accomplishments during his brief stint in professional wrestling was "putting guys over" and "repaying favors."

Batista and the rest of Evolution reunited on October 16, 2018 in a match against Triple H where Batista teased a match with Triple H. Triple H had never defeated Batista in singles competition, while Triple H had never defeated Batista. Batista returned to Raw on February 25, 2019 and struck Ric Flair backstage as Flair was poised to face Triple H on his 70th birthday appearance as well as subsequently denying Triple H's, although Triple H accepted the match. Triple H's career was in jeopardy against Batista, according to the order's of Batista's lawyers. Batista lost to Triple H at WrestleMania on April 7, after Ric Flair's interference. Batista announced his retirement from competitive wrestling on April 8, 2019.

WWE officially announced that Batista would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2020 on December 9, 2019. The event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was announced that the class of 2020 would be incorporated into the class of 2021 at the 2021 event. However, he was not on the list prior to the case, but not before. Batista confirmed his dismissal on Twitter, citing previous commitments as a reason for why he did not attend the 2021 festival. He also stated that WWE honors his request to induct him at a future function.

Despite being a face character during his return to WWE in 2014, Batista was heavilybooed by the crowd after winning the Royal Rumble. In a talk with WWE.com, he said the crowd reaction "was strange." It wasn't like a normal response. It was almost like a personal assault. It had to do with factors that were not in my control, as well as things that were happening with other people, stuff that had nothing to do with me. To me, it was a little frustrating, a little confusing, and, well, I don't want to say I entirely took it personal, but I did some." Batista had to abandon abruptly due to the fan reaction. He was named as the 50th greatest wrestling villain of all time by a WWE magazine in 2012. He has also been rated as the second best World Heavyweight Champion of all time by WWE.

The Batista statue in WWE was described as being 6 foot 6 inches tall and weighing 290 pounds. (Both figures are different from his actual height and weight as of August 2020).

Mixed martial arts career

Bautista's demise from WWE, Bautista attended Strikeforce: Los Angeles, a mixed martial arts (MMA) festival, on June 16, 2010, having previously expressed an interest in competing in MMA. Bautista said on June 21, 2010 that he would begin a MMA career. Under Cesar Gracie's tutelage, he became a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Bautista and Strikeforce decided on a price and were negotiating a deal. However, Bautista reported in April 2011 that negotiations fell through when the company was purchased by the Zuffa group.

On October 6, 2012, Bautista was supposed to make his MMA debut against Rashid Evans (not Rashad Evans) at the Classic Entertainment and Sports: Real Pain festival in Providence, Rhode Island. Evans, on the other hand, was forced out of the competition after a probation landed him back in prison on October 1, 2012. Vince Lucero, a journeyman and 40-fight veteran, was recalled Evans. In the first round, Bautista was able to win by a technical knockout (TKO) at 4:05.

Acting career

Bautista has appeared and appeared in numerous television shows as both himself and in character as Batista. He appeared in season 6 of the American drama action/adventure television series Smallville, where he played Aldar, an extraterrestrial alien who escaped from the Phantom Zone who sucks the bones out of people for nourishment. He made a cameo appearance on Australian soap opera Neighbours in June 2009. He appeared in an episode of Chuck in 2010 and then made a cameo appearance in Relative Strangers. On the 2010 action film Wrong Side of Town, he worked alongside Rob Van Dam, Marrese Crump, and Ja Rule.

In the Universal Studios film The Man with the Iron Fists, Bautista appeared as the villainous Brass Body. In the 2014 Marvel Studios film Guardians of the Galaxy, which was a critical and commercial success, he played Drax the Destroyer. In the James Bond film Spectre (2015), he played Mr. Hinx and Tong Po, opposite Georges St-Pierre, and he appeared as the villain Tong Po in the 1989 martial arts film Kickboxer. He appeared in Blade Runner 2049, a science fiction film that received critical praise in 2017. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1, he reprised his role as Drax. 2 (Released May 2017): Avengers: Infinity War (April 2018), and Avengers: Endgame (April 2019).

After Gunn's dismissal for old tweets joking about pedophilia and rape, Bautista joined his co-stars in favour of Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn in 2018. Bautista characterized Gunn's dismissal as "nauseous," and the artist stated that if Disney (the parent company of Marvel Studios) did not use Gunn's script for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. He'll be recast on number three. In March 2019, Gunn was revived as the film's director. Bautista revealed that the forthcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2121, during a appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on May 24, 2021. This will be his last appearance as the character.

Bautista appeared in Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead (2021). He appeared in Dune, a film adaptation of Frank Herbert's book of the same name, which attracted raves. He will appear in Glass Onion, the first sequel to the crime comedy Knives Down (2019), alongside Daniel Craig. Milla Jovovich, directed by Paul W.S., will be set to appear in the fantasy-adventure film In the Lost Lands. Anderson. He appeared in Knock At The Cabin, written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan on December 6, 2021.

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