Upon signing with the WWF in 2000, Bautista was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), a WWF developmental territory. World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment/WWE Ohio Valley Wrestling (2000–2002) Most recently, he trained at Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu under Cesar Gracie and has become a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Bautista also trained with Marrese Crump in Muay Thai and Eskrima. He had his debut match as Khan on October 30, 1999. 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, where he went to train and compete in Anoa'i's World Xtreme Wrestling (WXW) promotion.
Professional wrestling career Training and early career (1999–2000)īautista tried out at the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Power Plant, but was told he would never make it in the wrestling business by Sgt. As an actor, he reverted to his name's original spelling, and is billed as Dave Bautista. ĭuring his wrestling career, Bautista used the ring name "Batista", with a modified spelling. He said he decided to turn his life around and become a wrestler after having a breakdown from the shame he felt after asking a coworker to lend him money so he could buy Christmas presents for his children. He also worked as a lifeguard before pursuing a career in bodybuilding, which he credits with saving his life. After a trial, he was sentenced to one year of probation. He was a nightclub bouncer until he was arrested after a fight that left two patrons injured, one of whom was rendered unconscious. They taught me the values of working hard." They are good, honest, hard-working folks. He later said, "I am proud of my parents. By 17, he was estranged from his parents and living on his own. As young as age 13, he was stealing cars. Bautista has said that he lived in poverty, and that he had a hard life-before he reached the age of nine, three murders had occurred on his front lawn.
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 of Greek descent, and his father is the son of Filipino immigrants.
3 Professional wrestling style and personaīautista was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Donna Raye ( née Mullins) and hairdresser David Michael Bautista.2.2 World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment/WWE.He won his lone MMA fight on October 6, 2012, defeating Vince Lucero via technical knockout in the first round.
In August 2012, Bautista signed a contract with Classic Entertainment & Sports to fight in mixed martial arts (MMA). He has also appeared in several direct-to-video films since 2009. 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. In October 2018, Bautista made his second return to WWE and faced Triple H at WrestleMania 35 in April 2019, before retiring from wrestling.īautista began acting in 2006 and has starred in The Man with the Iron Fists (2012), Riddick (2013), the James Bond film Spectre (2015), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Army of the Dead (2021), and Dune (2021). He headlined WrestleMania XXX before again departing that June. After leaving WWE in 2010, he re-signed in December 2013, making his first appearance back in January 2014 and won that year's Royal Rumble match. 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. He has also held 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).
His first reign with the World Heavyweight Championship is the longest reign for that title at 282 days. 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. In his acting career, he is most widely known for his portrayal of Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.īautista began his wrestling career in 1999, and in 2000 signed with the then- World Wrestling Federation (WWF, renamed WWE in 2002). He participated in WWE events from 2002 to 2010, in 2014, and one final run from 2018 to 2019. (born January 18, 1969) is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Cesar Gracieĭavid Michael Bautista Jr. Bautista after his lone mixed martial arts fight