During his time performing as Batista, Dave Bautista certainly had a career worthy of the WWE Hall of Fame.
In fact, the multi-time world champion was originally announced as an inductee for the class of 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony wasn’t able to take place at the time of WrestleMania 36. When the class of 2020 was set to be inducted in a double ceremony alongside the class of 2021 during the weekend of WrestleMania 37, Bautista was unavailable for the ceremony. He explained on social media, tweeting:
“To the @WWEUniverse Unfortunately due to previous obligations I am unable to be a part of the @WWE #HOF this year. By my request they have agreed to induct me at a future ceremony where I’ll be able to properly thank the fans and people who made my career possible #DreamChaser”
Now, it appears that the Knock at the Cabin star has his eyes set on the Hall of Fame once again. During his latest film’s premiere, he was asked by Liam Crowley of ComicBook.com about whether or not he would be inducted as part of the class of 2023. Dave Bautista confirmed that he wants to be part of the class.
“I hope so, but I can’t say for sure,” Bautista said. “I can say that I’m trying. I am trying.”
No inductees for the class of 2023 have yet been announced.
Dave Bautista Has Found Great Success In Hollywood After Leaving WWE
After taking the world of WWE by storm as Batista and becoming a multi-time World Champion, Dave Bautista turned his attention to the world of acting, appearing opposite Daniel Craig’s James Bond in Spectre as well as starring as Drax the Destroyer in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
Bautista recently reunited with Daniel Craig to star as men’s rights activist and streaming influencer Duke Cody in Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. The director told The Atlantic that the former WWE Champion was the most surprising part of the film for him as he originally pictured Duke Cody’s character being entirely different.
“Dave Bautista. When I was writing [his character, a men’s-rights streamer named Duke Cody], I was picturing a scrawny dude who’s trying to overcompensate. When Bautista was brought up, I was instantly so smitten by the idea. I’ve been a very big fan of his dramatic chops as an actor.”
In fact, Rian Johnson said he believes Bautista to be the best wrestler-turned-actor ever, surpassing the likes of John Cena and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. He continued:
“I absolutely 100 percent agree. And I think somebody like [Paul Thomas Anderson] is going to give him a real part and is gonna look like a genius. As a person, Bautista is genuinely, immediately vulnerable when you meet him, and that’s what I was excited about. This is someone who has the physical trappings of someone who would play it big, but he actually brings sensitivity to the role.”
Bautista’s latest film, M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin, opened this weekend.