Before becoming an MCU mainstay and flexing his intimidating demeanor in M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin, Dave Bautista was consistently on a terrific run in WWE as one of its brightest stars. Wrestling under the name “Batista,” the wrestler-turned-actor delivered a multitude of unforgettable moments that let us know he was destined for acting success.
And what better time to appreciate Batista’s unforgettable WWE moments, like his birthday — with the performer officially turning 55 today. Despite making a few returns to wrestling over the last several years, he’s mainly stuck to acting in various roles in a variety of widespread genres.
Nevertheless, it was his brute strength, intensity, and grit as Batista in WWE that first allowed moviegoers to see his eventual potential as a star-studded actor. So, let’s take a stroll down memory lane for his 55th birthday and showcase the defining WWE moments that introduced us to his fantastic acting prowess.
Batista becomes “Hollywood”
Much like when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson indulged in his “Hollywood” era as a WWE superstar back in 2003, Batista shedded his skin as “The Animal,” and became infatuated with his own Hollywood spin.
As a result, Batista perfectly showcased that he had the personality, style, and swagger of carrying himself as a superstar in Hollywood. Showing up to WWE events in stylish clothes and designer glasses certainly helped the case — and we all knew from that point that he would excel in the acting industry just as well as wrestling.
Batista defeats John Cena
Nothing seems more iconic and telling of his Hollywood career than when Batista defeated John Cena — who interestingly went on to become an acting superstar as well. But before the two became leading men in their movies, the two were tangling in a wrestling ring.
Just like Batista never let Cena — or any other wrestler — stand in his way of success in WWE, his defeat of Cena also proved that Batista wasn’t afraid to become a major triumph in acting, and swallow the eventual comparisons to Cena while the two have built their acting careers.
Batista relinquishes the World Heavyweight Championship
As a die-hard wrestling fan myself, I think I speak on behalf of the community when I say Batista relinquishing the World Title back in 2006 after suffering an injury was a punch directly to the gut.
Up until that point, Batista was on the ride of a lifetime as one of the most dominant champions in recent memory, slaying Triple H back at WrestleMania 21 and becoming a definite force to be reckoned with. The silver lining? Batista’s undeniable emotions and sincerity for being a champion proved how well he would perform at the Hollywood level.
Batista unknowingly interacts with a “fan”
One of the most unforgettable Batista moments memorably happened during a backstage segment on Raw where a fan jumped in front of Batista and did a faithful impression of Batista’s taunts for the camera.
A plethora of debates have happened over the years as to whether or not it was an actual fan or just a paid actor, but either way, Batista “breaking kayfabe” (breaking character) and laughing to himself was a sure-fire sign that he was comical and would be perfect for a comedy role in the future of his acting career.
Batista quits WWE “for good”
Any passionate WWE fan knows that 2009 was an incredible year for Batista, and one of the most crucial for his character development as a wrestling figure. Throughout the year, Batista feuded with friends, double-crossed partners, and echoed his overwhelming disdain for the wrestling fans.
So when the time came for Batista to address these issues, he sat in a wheelchair in the middle of the WWE ring and shouted that he would quit. This was all just a part of the storyline, of course, with Batista’s choices perfectly showcasing how fantastic he was at being a bad guy. And there’s certainly no denying that Hollywood is full of baddie roles — with Batista simply being ideal for any of them.
