Dave Bautista

David Michael Bautista Jr. (born January 18, 1969) is an American actor, retired professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist and bodybuilder.

"David Batista" redirects here. For the Brazilian footballer, see David Batista (footballer).

Dave Bautista
Bautista at the 2019 GalaxyCon
Born
David Michael Bautista Jr.

(1969-01-18) January 18, 1969
Arlington, Virginia, U.S.
Occupation
  • Actor
  • professional wrestler
  • mixed martial artist
  • bodybuilder
Years active1999–2019 (wrestling)
2006–present (acting)
2012 (MMA)
Spouse(s)
Glenda Bautista
​
​
(m. 1990; div. 1998)​

Angie Bautista
​
​
(m. 1998; div. 2006)​

Sarah Jade
​
​
(m. 2015; sep. 2019)​
Children3
Ring name(s)Batista
Dave Batista
Deacon Batista
Khan[1]
Leviathan[1]
Billed height6 ft 6 in (198 cm)[2]
Billed weight290 lb (132 kg)[2]
Billed fromWashington, D.C.[2]
Trained byAfa Anoaʻi[3]
Marrese Crump[1]
DebutOctober 30, 1999[4]
RetiredApril 8, 2019[5]
Signature

Bautista began his wrestling career in 1999, and signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 2000. From 2002 to 2010, he gained fame under the ring name Batista and became a six-time world champion by winning the World Heavyweight Championship four times and the WWE Championship twice. He holds the record for the longest reign as World Heavyweight Champion at 282 days and has also 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 winner of the 2005 Royal Rumble match and went on to headline WrestleMania 21, one of the top five highest-grossing pay-per-view events in professional wrestling history.[6] Bautista re-signed with WWE in 2013, going on to win the 2014 Royal Rumble match and headline WrestleMania XXX before again departing that June. In October 2018, Bautista made his second return to WWE and faced Triple H at WrestleMania 35 in April 2019, before retiring from wrestling.

Bautista began acting in 2006 and has starred in The Man with the Iron Fists (2012), Riddick (2013), the James Bond film Spectre (2015), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017).[7] In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he has played the role of 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). He has also appeared in several direct-to-video films since 2009.

In August 2012, Bautista signed a contract with Classic Entertainment & Sports to fight in mixed martial arts (MMA).[8] He won his lone MMA fight on October 6, 2012, defeating Vince Lucero via TKO in the first round.

Early life

David Michael Bautista Jr.[9] was born on January 18, 1969,[10] in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Arlington, Virginia,[1] the son of Donna Raye (née Mullins) and hairdresser David Michael Bautista. His mother is of Greek descent, while his father is the son of Filipino immigrants.[9][11] His paternal grandfather served in the Philippine military, worked as a taxi driver and barber, and held other jobs to feed the family. His mother is a lesbian.[12] Bautista has said that he lived in poverty,[13] and that he had a hard life—before he reached the age of nine, three murders had occurred on his front lawn.[14] As young as age 13, he was stealing cars.[15] By age 17, Bautista was estranged from his parents and lived on his own.[16] He later admitted, "I am proud of my parents. They are good, honest, hard-working folks. They taught me the values of working hard."[15] He was a nightclub bouncer until he was arrested after a fight that left two patrons injured, one of whom was rendered unconscious.[16] After a trial, he was sentenced to one year of probation.[16] He also worked as a lifeguard[17] before pursuing a career in bodybuilding,[16] crediting the latter with saving his life.[18] Bautista said he decided to turn his life around and become a wrestler after having a breakdown due to feeling ashamed about asking a coworker to borrow money so he could buy his children Christmas presents.[12]

During his wrestling career, Bautista went by the moniker "Batista" with a modified spelling. When he went into acting, he reverted to the original spelling of his last name, billed as Dave Bautista in all film credits.

Professional wrestling career

Training and early career (1999–2000)

Bautista tried out at the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Power Plant, but was told he would never make it in the wrestling business by Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker.[19] He then went to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), who advised him to train with Afa Anoa'i in the Wild Samoan Training Center wrestling school,[20] where he went to train and compete in Anoa'i's World Xtreme Wrestling (WXW) promotion. He had his debut match as Khan on October 30, 1999.[4] Bautista also trained with Marrese Crump in Muay Thai and Eskrima.[21] Most recently, he trained at Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu under Cesar Gracie and has become a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.[22]

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2000–2002)

Upon signing with the WWF in 2000, Bautista was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), a WWF developmental territory. He made his OVW debut later that year under the ring name Leviathan, where he immediately joined forces with Synn. As a member of the Disciples of Synn stable, he went undefeated until being beaten at Christmas Chaos by Kane with help from Stone Cold Steve Austin. He later won the OVW Heavyweight Championship from "The Machine" Doug Basham before losing the belt to The Prototype. A few months later, Bautista left OVW after he was promoted to WWE's main roster.[3]

Early storylines (2002–2003)

While still in OVW, Bautista began appearing on non-televised WWE events. He began his televised WWE career on May 9, 2002 on an episode of SmackDown! as Deacon Batista, a villainous enforcer for Reverend D-Von.[23] He made his WWE in-ring debut in a tag team match teaming with D-Von against Faarooq and Randy Orton, pinning Orton. Over several weeks, Orton tried to beat D-Von and Batista with different partners, but ultimately lost each time.[24] Batista suffered his first loss in a match against Rikishi after D-Von accidentally punched him, allowing Rikishi to take advantage and pin Batista. Batista and D-Von argued over the forthcoming weeks, with Batista eventually turning on D-Von. On the November 14 episode of SmackDown!, Batista defeated D-Von to end their feud.[25] After splitting with D'Von, he was assigned to the Raw brand and was renamed Batista. He aligned himself with Ric Flair[26] and feuded with Kane, whom he defeated at Armageddon.[27]

Evolution (2003–2005)
Main article: Evolution

In January 2003, Batista joined Triple H, Ric Flair and Randy Orton to form the villainous stable Evolution.[28] Batista, however, was sidelined for much of 2003 after he tore his right triceps muscle at a Raw live event in a tag team match alongside Orton against The Dudley Boyz. While training after the injury, Batista re-tore his triceps, extending his stay on the sidelines.[29] Batista made his return on October 20 episode of Raw, interfering in a match between Goldberg and Shawn Michaels.[30] At Armageddon 2003, Batista and Ric Flair became one-half of the World Tag Team Champions.[31] while Triple H won the World Heavyweight Championship and Randy Orton the Intercontinental Championship.[32] Batista and Flair held the title until February 16, 2004 episode of Raw, when they were defeated by Booker T and Rob Van Dam.[33] They later regained the title for a short period.[34][35]

Since late 2004, the relationship between Batista and Triple H began to deteriorate in kayfabe. After a loss to Chris Jericho, Triple H verbally insulted Batista. Batista teased leaving Evolution that night, but declared that he was still part of Evolution and that they tricked everyone.[36] Despite this ploy, Batista began behaving more like a fan favorite over the next few weeks in comparison to Evolution's villainous tactics. One particular moment saw Batista express disgust as Triple H and Ric Flair boasted about how they had intimidated and/or beat up Jim Ross, Danny Hodge, and Stacy Keibler. Regardless, he continued to show his loyalty to Triple H and Evolution by running down to the ring and assisting them in matches.

As 2005 began, Triple H realized the possibility of Batista becoming a threat to his World Heavyweight Championship. Triple H suggested that he not enter the Royal Rumble, claiming that it would be selfish of him to do so, and to simply focus on Triple H retaining the title. Batista entered anyway and went on to win the Rumble earning the right to participate in the main event of WrestleMania 21 against the World Champion of his choice.[37] In an attempt to persuade Batista to challenge WWE Champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield and challenger John Cena in a triple-threat match rather than him, Triple H concocted a scheme to have Batista run over in a limousine resembling the one used by Layfield. Initially, Dave did not want help from Evolution and wanted to confront JBL by himself. Triple H insisted that Evolution stick together and accompanied Dave anyway, saving him from the oncoming vehicle.[38] Batista became aware of the plot while sneakily eavesdropping on fellow Evolution members and signed a contract guaranteeing him a match with the World Heavyweight Champion Triple H at WrestleMania 21, thus leaving Evolution and officially turning into a fan favorite. Batista initially pretended that he would sign with SmackDown!, giving Triple H and Flair the "thumbs up", but turned it into a "thumbs down" before attacking the pair. He emphasized his departure by powerbombing Triple H through the table used for the contract signing.[39]

World Heavyweight Champion (2005–2008)
Batista as World Heavyweight Champion in September 2005

Batista won the World Heavyweight Championship on April 3 in the main event of WrestleMania 21.[2][40] WrestleMania 21 received 1.09 million pay-per-view buys worldwide – the then-highest ever number of buys for any non-boxing pay-per-view. Batista's match with Triple H was described by sports journalist Dave Meltzer as "the peak of one of [WWE's] best storylines in years".[6] Batista won a rematch with Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship at Backlash.[41] After Batista retained his title against Edge on the May 23 episode of Raw, he was betrayed by Ric Flair, who helped Triple H viciously attack the champion as Triple H challenged Batista to a Hell in a Cell match at Vengeance.[42] Batista won the match at Vengeance, retaining his title yet again. With this win, Batista became the first wrestler to pin Triple H in a Hell in a Cell match.[43]

Batista in 2006

On the June 30 episode of SmackDown!, Batista was drafted to the SmackDown! brand as the last pick in the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery, making a surprise appearance to attack JBL, who was celebrating his victory in a six-man elimination match to crown the inaugural "SmackDown! Champion".[44] JBL defeated Batista at The Great American Bash by disqualification after the referee saw Batista use a steel chair.[45] They had a rematch at SummerSlam in a No Holds Barred match in which Batista pinned JBL.[46] The feud culminated in a Texas Bull Rope match on the September 9 episode of SmackDown! with Batista retaining his championship.[47] Soon after retaining the title in a feud with Eddie Guerrero at No Mercy,[48] WWE.com reported that Batista suffered a muscle tear in his back at the taping for the November 11 episode of SmackDown! due to a double chokeslam from Big Show and Kane.[49] Plans had been made for Batista to defend the title in a Triple Threat match with Eddie Guerrero and Randy Orton on November 18 episode of SmackDown!, but the match did not take place due to the unexpected death of Guerrero on November 13, the date of the taping. Batista paid homage to Guerrero during the Raw and SmackDown! tribute shows dedicated to Guerrero's memory.[50]

Batista led Team SmackDown! against Team Raw in an inter-brand feud before Survivor Series. The feud saw Big Show and Kane chokeslamming Batista several more times in the weeks leading up to Survivor Series in an on-camera explanation for Batista's injury.[51] Batista ultimately helped his team win the match.[52] After Batista saved Rey Mysterio from Big Show and Kane on the December 2 episode of SmackDown!,[53] leading to a match with Mysterio teaming with Batista to face Big Show and Kane at Armageddon.

On December 16 episode of SmackDown!, Batista and Mysterio defeated WWE Tag Team Champions[54] MNM to win the titles in a match they dedicated to Eddie Guerrero, and thus Batista became a double champion.[55] After this, the clash with Big Show and Kane at Armageddon turned into a Champions vs. Champions encounter. Batista and Mysterio lost to Big Show and Kane at Armageddon.[56] Two weeks later on SmackDown!, MNM defeated Batista and Mysterio after help from the returning Mark Henry to regain the WWE Tag Team Championship. During the interference, Henry attacked Batista, and performed his World's Strongest Slam.[57] The teams met again in a steel cage match the following week that Henry also became involved in, and Batista and Mysterio were defeated again.[58] Batista tore his right triceps during a match with Mark Henry at a house show on January 6, forcing him to vacate the World Heavyweight Championship at the SmackDown! tapings on January 13, two days after surpassing Triple H's previous mark of 280 days for longest reigning champion. In his book, Batista Unleashed, Batista said that he believed that Henry was "careless" during their match as he never gave Batista any warning that the move was coming. Batista went on to have successful surgery on his arm on January 12.[59]

Batista made an appearance at No Way Out and told the crowd that once his arm had healed he would return to regain the World Heavyweight Championship.[60] At WrestleMania 22, he interrupted a Randy Orton interview, putting SmackDown! on notice that the World Heavyweight Championship would return to him by WrestleMania 23.[61]

Batista made his official return during the July 7 episode of SmackDown! immediately calling out and entering into a feud with Mark Henry.[62] At Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIII, Batista won a six-man tag match with teammates Rey Mysterio and Bobby Lashley, defeating World Heavyweight Champion King Booker, Finlay, and Mark Henry.[63] Henry was legitimately injured and was ruled out of the scheduled match between the two at The Great American Bash, thus further delaying a potential feud between the two after being delayed by Batista's initial injury.[62]

Batista put out an open challenge to replace the injured Henry, which was answered by Mr. Kennedy.[64] At The Great American Bash, Batista lost this match via disqualification for failing to stop choking Mr. Kennedy into the turnbuckle with his boot, but continued to attack Kennedy resulting in a laceration on his forehead so severe that it exposed his cranium and required more than 20 stitches to close.[65][66] Batista lost another match with Kennedy via count out in a rematch on the July 28 episode of SmackDown! before finally defeating Kennedy by pinfall on the August 4 episode of SmackDown!.[67][68]

Batista faced Big Show for the ECW World Championship on the August 1 episode of ECW, winning the match by disqualification but failing to win the championship as titles cannot change hands by disqualification.[69] He then set his sights on King Booker's World Heavyweight Championship, with the two facing in a match for the title at SummerSlam on August 20. However, Batista also won this match by disqualification.[70] Batista continued his pursuit of the championship, failing to capture it once again in a fatal-four way at No Mercy in October also involving Finlay and Bobby Lashley,[71] before finally defeating Booker to regain the World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series on November 26.[2][72] The following month at Armageddon, Batista teamed with John Cena to defeat King Booker and Finlay, putting an end to the rivalry.[73]

Batista holding the World Heavyweight Championship and a flag of Puerto Rico in 2006

Going into 2007, Batista began a short feud with Mr. Kennedy over the championship.[74] Batista retained the championship over Kennedy at the Royal Rumble on January 28.[75] Batista's next challenger was The Undertaker, the winner of the Royal Rumble match.[76] 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 match.[77] At WrestleMania 23 on April 1, Batista lost the World Heavyweight Championship to The Undertaker.[78] They continued their feud with a Last Man Standing match at Backlash later that month, which ended in a draw.[79] The two wrestled again in a Steel Cage Match on the May 11 episode of SmackDown!, which also ended in a draw. Following the match, Edge took advantage and won the title from The Undertaker by cashing in his Money in the Bank contract.[80] Afterward, Batista challenged Edge unsuccessfully for the World Heavyweight Championship at Judgment Day, One Night Stand (in a Steel Cage Match), and Vengeance: Night of Champions (in a Last Chance match).[81][82] The loss at Vengeance stipulated that Batista could no longer get another chance at the World Heavyweight Championship while Edge remained champion.[83]

Batista accepted an open challenge from The Great Khali at The Great American Bash. Edge relinquished the title due to an injury the week before The Great American Bash, and Khali became the new World Heavyweight Champion, winning a Battle Royal and eliminating Batista. Batista and Kane, Edge's title opponent, faced Khali at The Great American Bash in a Triple Threat match where Khali retained the title.[84] Batista received a disqualification victory against Khali at SummerSlam after Khali used a steel chair, thus Khali retained the title again.[85] Batista finally claimed his third World Heavyweight Championship after eight consecutive attempts, by defeating Khali in a triple threat match that included Rey Mysterio at Unforgiven.[2][86] His first challenge was from The Great Khali in a Punjabi Prison Match at No Mercy where Batista retained his title. He won the match by leaping from the inner bamboo structure to the outer one, shortening his escape route and beating Khali to the floor.[87]

After the return of The Undertaker at Unforgiven, the duo reignited their feud at Cyber Sunday where the fans chose Stone Cold Steve Austin as the Special Guest Referee. Batista pinned The Undertaker after two Batista Bombs.[88] The feud continued with a Hell in a Cell match at Survivor Series. During the match, Edge returned and interfered by giving The Undertaker a con-chair-to. He then pulled an unconscious Batista on top of The Undertaker for the pinfall to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.[89] At Armageddon, Edge won a Triple Threat match, alongside The Undertaker for Batista's World Heavyweight Championship.[90]

Batista in June 2008

Batista appeared in the Royal Rumble and made the final three before being eliminated by Triple H. At No Way Out, he was part of the SmackDown Elimination Chamber Match and eliminated Big Daddy V, but was last eliminated by The Undertaker. At WrestleMania XXIV, he defeated Umaga in an interpromotional match. After Shawn Michaels defeated Ric Flair in a Career Threatening match (forcing Flair to retire) later that night,[91] Batista began a feud with Michaels, calling him selfish and egotistical. The two faced off at Backlash with Chris Jericho as the special guest referee. Michaels won after faking a knee injury and performing Sweet Chin Music.[92] Batista then defeated Michaels at One Night Stand in a stretcher match, thus ending their feud.[93]

On the June 23 episode of Raw, Batista was drafted from SmackDown to the Raw brand during the 2008 WWE Draft.[94] After failing to win the World Heavyweight Championship from Edge at Night of Champions, Batista attacked Edge the following night on Raw, allowing CM Punk to cash in his Money in the Bank contract on Edge. This set up a title match between Batista and Punk at The Great American Bash which ended in a double disqualification after Kane interfered and attacked both men. The following night on Raw, Batista and Punk had a rematch, Batista won by disqualification after he was attacked by JBL. As John Cena came to the ring to fight JBL, he inadvertently punched Batista as JBL ducked. This started a program between Cena and Batista leading up to SummerSlam, for which a match was made official by Raw general manager Mike Adamle. This was the first time a match between the two would occur as they had each been on separate brands since they both debuted in 2002. On the August 4 episode of Raw, Batista and Cena won the World Tag Team Championship from Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase, making Batista a three-time World Tag Team Champion.[95][96] The next week on Raw, Batista and Cena lost the World Tag Team Championship back to Rhodes and DiBiase.[97] After losing the titles, the two had to be separated by multiple officials. Batista defeated Cena at SummerSlam, legitimating injuring Cena's neck in the process.[98] Batista then competed in the World Heavyweight Championship championship scramble match at Unforgiven and was eight seconds away from being a four-time world champion, but Chris Jericho snuck in and pinned Kane in the waning seconds. On October 26 at Cyber Sunday, Batista defeated Jericho for his fourth World Heavyweight Championship in a match in which Stone Cold Steve Austin was voted in as the special guest referee.[99] Batista's reign, however, only lasted eight days when Jericho won the title back in a Steel Cage match on the 800th episode of Raw on November 3.[100]

Batista then entered a feud with former Evolution partner, Randy Orton; at Survivor Series, Batista led a team of himself, CM Punk, Kofi Kingston, Matt Hardy, and R-Truth to face the team of Randy Orton, Shelton Benjamin, William Regal, Cody Rhodes, and Mark Henry. Orton's team won with Orton pinning Batista, winning the match for his team. His feud with Orton continued up to Armageddon where Batista defeated Orton. On the December 15 episode of Raw, Batista was put into a handicap match against The Legacy with John Cena as his partner. During the match, Orton struck Batista with a punt to the head. Batista was knocked out and put out of action indefinitely due to a storyline head injury. WWE.com later reported that Batista elected to undergo surgery to repair a hamstring tear.[101] His hamstring was injured at SummerSlam, in the same match that John Cena was forced out of action with a neck injury. He was expected to be out of action for six to eight months.

WWE Champion (2009–2010)

Batista returned on the Raw after WrestleMania 25, to save Triple H, Shane McMahon, and Vince McMahon from The Legacy (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr.). Vince McMahon then scheduled Batista to team up with WWE Champion Triple H and Shane McMahon to face The Legacy at Backlash. During the match, Batista had brought out a chair, but Triple H tried to stop him, so they would not get disqualified. This distraction, however, cost Triple H his championship, after he lost it to Orton. The following night on Raw, Batista won a singles match against Big Show due to a distraction by John Cena, to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship at Judgment Day, which he won by disqualification.[102] Batista went on to defeat Orton in a rematch at Extreme Rules in a Steel Cage match to capture the WWE Championship.[103] However, on the June 8 episode of Raw, Batista was to vacate the title due to a staged brutal attack by Orton and the Legacy. It was later revealed that Batista had suffered a legitimate torn left biceps similar to what he suffered in 2006. Legacy was given on-screen credit for his injury.[104]

Batista as the WWE Champion in March 2010

Batista returned on the September 14 episode of Raw with his arm still in a vice. Randy Orton, assuming Batista was retiring, claimed that he ended Batista's career. Batista then removed his arm vice, which turned to be fake, and attacked Orton. He then stated that he would not retire, but move to SmackDown instead. Later that night, he defeated Orton in a no-holds barred match which was to be his last match on Raw.[105]

Following his return to SmackDown, Batista defeated Unified Tag Team Champions Jeri-Show (Chris Jericho and The Big Show) in singles competition.[106][107] These two victories culminated in a tag team title match against Jeri-Show with his partner Rey Mysterio on October 4 at Hell in a Cell, which Jeri-Show won.[108] That same month at Bragging Rights, Batista was unsuccessful in winning the World Heavyweight Championship in a Fatal Four-Way match including CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, and champion The Undertaker. During the match, Mysterio broke up Batista's pin on Undertaker costing him the match and the title. After the match (which Undertaker won), Batista and Mysterio appeared to patch things up, but Batista said he was tired of coming so close only to be stabbed in the back and told Mysterio he was going to rip his head off. Batista proceeded to brutally attack Mysterio, turning heel for the first time since 2005.[109] Batista faced Mysterio on November 22 at Survivor Series, where Batista won via referee stoppage after delivering three Batista Bombs to Mysterio.[110] Batista defeated Mysterio again in a street fight on the December 11 episode of SmackDown.[111] A few weeks later, Batista lost to Mysterio in a number one contenders match for the World Heavyweight Championship;[112] Mysterio's title match against The Undertaker ended as a no-contest after interference from Batista.[113] On December 13 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Batista faced Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship in a Chairs match. Batista initially won the match and the title, but SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long reversed the decision because Batista had hit Undertaker with a low blow behind the referee's back. The match was restarted with The Undertaker winning and retaining the championship.[114]

At the Royal Rumble in January 2010, Batista entered the titular match at number thirty, but failed to win as he was eliminated by John Cena.[115] Batista then became involved in WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and Bret Hart's rivalry by assisting McMahon in attacking Hart; John Cena attempted to save Hart, but was assaulted by Batista.[116] On February 21 at Elimination Chamber, as payment for Batista attacking Hart, McMahon allowed Batista to face Cena for the WWE Championship immediately after Cena won the title in an Elimination Chamber match. Batista won the match and thus his second WWE Championship, which resulted in Batista moving back to Raw.[117] On March 28 at WrestleMania XXVI, Batista lost the WWE Championship to John Cena in a rematch, ending his reign at 35 days.[118][119] Batista received his rematch for the title in a Last Man Standing match on April 25 at Extreme Rules, but was defeated by Cena after Cena duct-taped his legs around a ring post, preventing him from standing up.[120] Batista and Cena faced off once again for the WWE Championship on May 23 at Over the Limit, but he failed again to regain the title from Cena in an "I Quit" match, quitting as Cena threatened to give him the Attitude Adjustment off the roof of a car. Cena did so anyway, throwing Batista off of the car and through the stage below.[121]

The following night on Raw, Batista opened the show in a wheelchair and claimed that he would be pursuing legal action against Cena and WWE for his injuries (which he revealed in 2014 to be a legitimate compression fracture of his L1 spine).[122] His promo was interrupted by new Raw General Manager Bret Hart, who ordered he face an injured Randy Orton to qualify for a shot at WWE Championship against Cena again at the new Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view. Batista refused and quit the company after Hart named Orton winner by forfeit. His profile was subsequently moved to the alumni page on WWE's website.[123] He later said in an interview that he left WWE because he "did not like the direction the company was going in".[124]

Return to WWE (2013–2014)
Upon his return, Batista won the 2014 Royal Rumble match and would go onto main event WrestleMania XXX

On the December 23, 2013 episode of Raw, a vignette advertised the return of Batista on January 20, 2014 episode of Raw.[125] Batista returned as a face to confront WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton on the January 20 Raw, and vowed to win the 2014 Royal Rumble match and become champion at WrestleMania XXX. Later that night, Batista confronted Alberto Del Rio, who had been trash talking him for several weeks, and eventually attacked him with a Batista Bomb.[126] Six days later at the Royal Rumble, Batista entered the Rumble match at number 28 and last eliminated Roman Reigns to win the match, becoming the fifth wrestler to win multiple Rumble matches, and the first, and so far only multi-time Royal Rumble winner to win from the same entrant number (28).[127] The live crowd reacted negatively towards Batista's win, as Daniel Bryan did not take part in the match. Despite a positive reaction originally, the crowd began to boo Batista after Reigns was eliminated.[128] After the show went off the air, Batista mocked Bryan and gestured his middle finger at the crowd.[129] According to Batista, he thought a return as a face was a bad idea because of the fans being so invested in Daniel Bryan's "Yes Movement".[130] On the February 3 Raw, Batista was confronted and was ultimately assaulted by Del Rio before chasing him off.[131] Batista retaliated the following week, powerbombing Del Rio through the broadcast table.[132]

At the Elimination Chamber event and on the following Raw, Batista was heavily booed by the fans during matches against Del Rio.[133] Batista won the match at Elimination Chamber, but continued to suffer a torrid fan reaction with "Boo-tista" chants.[134] Batista responded to the audience on the February 28 episode of SmackDown, saying that he did not come back to be liked, then mocked the other wrestlers by stating that they were not "real men" and promised to be the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion, thus turning heel.[135] After Orton retained his title at the Elimination Chamber, the scheduled WrestleMania XXX main event was Batista vs. Orton, however Bryan was added to the match after defeating Triple H in the opening contest of the show. Batista ultimately lost the triple threat match at WrestleMania after Bryan forced him to submit to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.[136]

Orton and Batista would later reunite with Triple H to reform Evolution to feud with The Shield

The next night on Raw, Batista and Orton teamed together to face The Usos for the WWE Tag Team Championship, but the match ended in a double count out.[137] Later that night, Batista and Orton, along with Kane, attacked Bryan before he was set to defend his title against Triple H. Before Triple H could defeat Bryan, The Shield interrupted by spearing Triple H and taking out Batista, Orton and Kane, causing Bryan to retain his title via disqualification.[138] On the April 14 episode of Raw, Batista, Triple H and Randy Orton came down to the ring to attack The Shield after their 11-on-3 handicap match, using the name and the theme of Evolution.[139] At both Extreme Rules and Payback, Evolution lost to The Shield.[140][141] On the June 2 episode of Raw, Batista quit WWE after Triple H denied him a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.[142] Batista legitimately quit the WWE due to creative differences soon after.[143][144]

In April 2015, Batista said that he would be interested in returning to WWE, but only at non-televised events.[145] He was contacted to appear at WrestleMania 32 in 2016, but turned down the offer.[146] Regarding his brief tenure in professional wrestling, he said that his greatest achievement was "putting guys over" and "repaying favors".[147]

Feud with Triple H and retirement (2018–2019)

On October 16, 2018, Batista reunited with the rest of Evolution for an appearance on SmackDown's 1000th episode, where Batista teased a match with Triple H, as Triple H had never beaten Batista in singles competition.[148] On February 25, 2019, Batista returned to Raw and attacked Ric Flair backstage as Flair was about to make an appearance for his 70th birthday celebration as well as subsequently calling out Triple H.[149] On the March 11 episode of Raw, Batista and Triple H had a face-to-face confrontation, in which Batista challenged Triple H to a match at WrestleMania 35 in order to end his career in his own terms, while also vowing to end Triple H's, in which Triple H accepted, while also adding the match would be a No Holds Barred match.[150] On the March 25 episode of Raw, Triple H put his career on the line against Batista, per the order's of Batista's lawyers.[151] At WrestleMania on April 7, Batista lost to Triple H after interference from Ric Flair.[152] On April 8, 2019, Batista announced his retirement from professional wrestling.[5][153]

WWE Hall of Fame (2019–present)

On December 9, 2019, WWE officially announced that Batista will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a part of the class of 2020.[154]

Professional wrestling style and persona
Batista performing his finishing move, the Batista Bomb, on Finlay at a WWE house show in 2006

Upon his return to WWE in 2014, Batista was heavily booed by the crowd after winning the Royal Rumble, despite playing a face character.[155] In an interview with WWE.com, Batista said regarding the crowd reaction that "it was weird. It wasn’t like a normal response. It was almost like a personal attack. It had to do with factors that were not in my control, factors and things that were going on in the company with other people, stuff that really had nothing to do with me. To me, it was a little frustrating, a little confusing, and, you know, I don’t want to say I completely took it personal, but I did somewhat."[156] The fan reaction caused Batista to turn prematurely heel.[135] He was declared as the 50th greatest wrestling villain of all time by a WWE article in 2012.[157] WWE has also ranked him as the second best World Heavyweight Champion of all time.[158]

Mixed martial arts career
Dave Bautista
Bautista after his lone mixed martial arts fight
Other namesBrass Body[159]
Height6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight265 lb (120 kg; 18 st 13 lb)
DivisionHeavyweight (265 lb) (MMA) [160]
TeamGracie Fighter Tampa
Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
RankPurple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Cesar Gracie
Years active2012 (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total1
Wins1
By knockout1
Losses0
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

After leaving WWE, Bautista attended Strikeforce: Los Angeles, a mixed martial arts (MMA) event, on June 16, 2010 having previously registered an interest in competing in MMA. On June 21, 2010, Bautista stated that he would be embarking on an MMA career.[161] He also became a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the tutelage of Cesar Gracie.[22] Bautista and Strikeforce agreed on a price and were negotiating a contract. However, in April 2011, Bautista stated that negotiations fell through when the organization was bought by the Zuffa company.[162]

The closing moments of Bautista's win against Vince Lucero in 2012

Bautista was expected to make his MMA debut against Rashid Evans (not Rashad Evans) on October 6, 2012 at the Classic Entertainment and Sports: Real Pain event in Providence, Rhode Island.[163] However, on October 1, 2012, Evans was forced out of the bout after a probation violation landed him back in jail. Evans was replaced by journeyman and 40-fight veteran Vince Lucero. Bautista went on to win the fight by technical knockout (TKO) at 4:05 in the first round.[164]

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
1 match 1 win 0 losses
By knockout 1 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 1–0 Vince Lucero TKO (punches) CES MMA: Real Pain October 6, 2012 1 4:05 Providence, Rhode Island, United States

Acting career

Bautista has acted and guest-starred in several television shows as both himself and in-character as Batista. He guest-starred in the eighth episode of season 6 of the American drama action/adventure television series Smallville; he played an extraterrestrial alien named Aldar that escaped from the Phantom Zone, who sucks the bones out of people for nourishment.[165] In June 2009, Bautista made a cameo appearance as himself in an episode of the Australian soap opera Neighbours.[166] In 2010, he made an appearance on an episode of Chuck.[167] He has also made a cameo appearance in Relative Strangers.[15] Bautista worked alongside Rob Van Dam, Marrese Crump and Ja Rule on the 2010 action film Wrong Side of Town.[168]

Bautista appeared as the villainous Brass Body in the Universal Studios film The Man with the Iron Fists. He played Drax the Destroyer in the 2014 Marvel Studios film Guardians of the Galaxy, which was a critical and commercial success.[169] He played Mr. Hinx in the James Bond film, Spectre (2015), and starred as the villain Tong Po in the reboot of the 1989 martial arts film Kickboxer, opposite Georges St-Pierre.[170] Bautista joined the cast of Blade Runner 2049 as Sapper Morton, which was released on October 6, 2017.[171] He reprised his role as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, released in May 2017,[172] Avengers: Infinity War, released in April 2018 and Avengers: Endgame, released in April 2019.[173] In January 2019, Bautista was cast in the upcoming Denis Villeneuve adaptation of Dune.[174]

In 2018, Bautista joined his castmates in support of Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn after his firing for old tweets joking about pedophilia and rape.[175] Bautista declared that if Disney (parent company of Marvel Studios) did not use Gunn's script for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, he would ask to be recast, calling Gunn's firing "nauseating".[176] Ultimately, Gunn was reinstated as director of the film in March 2019.[177]

Other media
Batista at a WWE meet and greet in 2005

Bautista appeared on the covers of the April 2005 Flex,[178] and Muscle & Fitness for September 2008.[179] Along with John Cena and Ashley Massaro, Bautista appeared representing WWE on an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in January 2007, giving the kids of the family whose house was renovated WWE merchandise and eight tickets to WrestleMania 23.[180]

According to the Wrestling Figure Checklist, Bautista had 171 action figures released in the 2000s and 2010s, the vast majority were released in the mid-to-late 2000s by Jakks Pacific.[181] Baustia remarked on his 2007 appearance on MTV Cribs that "I was trying to collect my action figures, but I gave up, there became too many".[182]

On October 16, 2007, Bautista's autobiography, Batista Unleashed, was released.[3] In an interview about the book, he claimed, "I didn't want to tell my story unless it was honest... you have to go through three sets of lawyers: Simon & Schuster lawyers, WWE lawyers, my lawyers. Everything now being the way it is, you can be sued for the simplest thing."[183] One source of controversy was the book's mentioning of Chris Benoit, a wrestler who famously killed his wife and strangled his son in a murder-suicide, who was almost completely removed from the book. Bautista responded, "I loved the guy. I despise what he did, but that doesn't erase him from my life. I fought to keep him in there and glad they did."[183] When asked about his ex-wife, Angie, he says, "[We] have really become close again, which we really haven't been in years. I really learned a lot about her, and she learned a lot about me from reading the book. She actually saw things from a different perspective from reading the book. So that was definitely therapeutic."[183]

During the week of November 5, 2007, he appeared on Family Feud with several other WWE wrestlers.[184]

On September 7, 2008, he appeared on an episode of Iron Chef America as one of the judges, with snails as the theme ingredient.[185] Bautista, along with Candice Michelle, Shelton Benjamin, and Josh Mathews, represented the WWE at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in an effort to persuade fans to register to vote in the 2008 presidential election.[186] Batista has also appeared on MTV Cribs showing his house and his cars. Bautista had his first biographical DVD released through WWE Productions entitled Batista: I Walk Alone. It was released October 20, 2009. A second biographical DVD was released which continued his life story from walking away from WWE back in 2010 and then making his journey back to WWE in 2014 was released entitled WWE Batista: The Animal Unleashed, which was released in June 2014.[187]

Controversies

Incident with Booker T

During a commercial shoot for the 2006 SummerSlam pay-per-view, Batista got into a legitimate fistfight with Booker T. The incident was reported on WWE.com, with both men telling their sides of the story. Booker T believed that Batista considered himself to be better than the rest of the roster due to his main event status and relatively quick climb to achieve it. Wrestlers backstage were praising Booker for speaking his mind to Batista about his attitude.[188][189][190]

Steroid allegations

In August 2007, ESPN incorrectly included Batista on a list of names that they claimed were clients of Signature Pharmacy of Orlando, Florida, one of many pharmacies under investigation for illicitly providing anabolic steroids.[191] Batista released a statement denying ESPN's allegations and was furious over the report. He denied ever being a customer of Signature and stated that he has been "tested regularly by the WWE, and I am in full compliance with the WWE Wellness Program".[192] WWE suspended ten wrestlers named in the statement; Batista was not one of them.[193]

Personal life
Bautista in July 2013

Bautista married his first wife, Glenda, in 1990. They have two daughters together, Keilani (born 1990) and Athena (born 1992), before divorcing in 1998.[194] Bautista married his second wife, Angie, on October 13, 1998. They have a son together, Oliver,[195] after divorcing in 2006.[196] Before the age of 40, Bautista already had two grandsons through Keilani.[197][198] During his marriage to Angie, he became an avid collector of vintage metal lunchboxes. His favorite is the 1967 Green Hornet lunchbox as it has Bruce Lee on it. This collection started when he bought Angie an E.T. lunchbox and she did not want to break it, so he bought a second one.[199] In October 2015, he married competitive pole dancer Sarah Jade.[200] The couple separated in early 2019.[195]

He has numerous tattoos, including a large dragon on his back, red Kanji lettering on his upper left biceps which says "Angel" in tribute to Angie, a signature design on his upper right biceps, and a small sun on his abdomen which encircles his belly button.[201] He also has a tattoo on his arm of the flags of Greece and the Philippines. While taking time off due to injury in 2009, he had both upper arms covered in large, tribal style tattoos, including the phrase "DC soldier" on his right biceps.[202]

Bautista supported Bernie Sanders in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.[203] He endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 United States presidential election and appeared in an advertisement for his presidential campaign.[204][205]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2006 Relative Strangers Wrestler Uncredited cameo
2009 My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? Police officer
2010 Wrong Side of Town Big Ronnie
2011 House of the Rising Sun Ray Action On Film Award for Performer of the Year
The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption Argomael
2012 The Man with the Iron Fists Brass Body
2013 Riddick Diaz
2014 Guardians of the Galaxy Drax the Destroyer Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Ensemble
Nevada Film Critics Society Award for Best Ensemble Cast
Nominated – Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble
Nominated – Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Ensemble Acting
2015 L.A. Slasher The Drug Dealer #1
Spectre Mr. Hinx
Heist Jason Cox
2016 The Boss Chad Uncredited
Kickboxer: Vengeance Tong Po
Marauders Stockwell
The Warriors Gate Arun the Cruel
2017 Bushwick Stupe Also executive producer
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Drax the Destroyer
2048: Nowhere to Run Sapper Morton Short film
Blade Runner 2049 Sapper Morton
2018 Avengers: Infinity War Drax the Destroyer
Hotel Artemis Everest
Escape Plan 2: Hades Trent DeRosa
Final Score Michael Knox Also producer
Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy Owen Davidson
2019 Avengers: Endgame Drax the Destroyer
Stuber Det. Victor "Vic" Manning
Escape Plan: The Extractors Trent DeRosa
2020 My Spy JJ
2021 Dune Glossu Rabban Post-production
Army of the Dead Scott Ward Post-production
2022 Thor: Love and Thunder Drax the Destroyer Filming
Key
Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2006 Smallville Aldar Episode: "Static"
2009 Head Case Himself Episode: "All About Steve"
2009 Neighbours Himself Episode: "1.5719"
2010 Chuck T.I. Episode: "Chuck Versus the Couch Lock"
2015 TripTank Delivery Guy (voice) Episode: "Short Change"
2019 What We Do in the Shadows Garrett Episode: "The Trial"
2020 Undertaker: The Last Ride Himself Documentary series
2020 Home Movie: The Princess Bride[206] Fezzik Upcoming
TBA See Season 2

Video games
Year Title Notes
2003 WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain Video game debut
WWE WrestleMania XIX
WWE RAW 2
2004 WWE Day of Reckoning
WWE Survivor Series
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw
2005 WWE WrestleMania 21
WWE Aftershock
WWE Day of Reckoning 2
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 Cover athlete
2006 WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 Cover athlete (NTSC version)
2007 WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008
2008 WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009
2009 WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010
2010 WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011
2013 WWE 2K14
2014 WWE SuperCard
WWE 2K15
2015 WWE Immortals
WWE 2K16
2017 WWE 2K18
2018 WWE 2K19
2019–2020 Gears 5 Limited Edition DLC
Marcus Fenix update[207]
2019 WWE 2K20

Theme park attractions
Year Title Role Venue
2017 Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission Breakout! Drax the Destroyer Disney California Adventure

Championships and accomplishments
Batista during his second World Heavyweight Championship reign

Professional wrestling

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Preceded by
Chris Benoit
John Cena		 Royal Rumble winner
2005
2014		 Succeeded by
Rey Mysterio
Roman Reigns
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