John Cena’s Success Led To Former WWE Champion’s Decision To Leave

WWE

A former WWE star has reflected on their early movie career, rivalry with John Cena and what spurred a parting of the ways with the company.

Known to movie fans as Dave Bautista, the star will be more familiar to WWE fans as Batista, last seen at WrestleMania 35 in 2019 and very much unlikely to make an in-ring return.

A movie star he may be, but Batista revealed that he had no interest in acting during his early years pursuing wrestling stardom, while speaking with W.O.L.F. GYMS, saying:

“I had no interest in acting, I had none.

“In 2010, I actually did a film as a favor for a friend. I again had no interest in acting. I was obsessed with wrestling; all I wanted to do was wrestle. I went, and I learned what a s**t actor I was, literally I was just so embarrassed.

“‘Cause I thought it was going to be easy, I helped write the part, you know ‘cause when I first read it I was like ‘I can’t play this part like this, it’s really bad.’ So he said, ‘Write it the way you want it, so I kind of improv’d it, and I went, and I could just feel how bad I was, and it was embarrassing; I was uncomfortable with it. And I left that set just so unhappy and so unsatisfied and just felt like I know I can be better at this, I just want another shot.

“So that’s when I tried to do it through WWE, and they were making films at the time. Just they didn’t want to make films with me.”

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Asked why WWE wouldn’t be interested in using him for their movies, Batista would reflect on John Cena and his relationship with the now-retired star, explaining:

“This is not an animosity thing towards John Cena; I don’t have anything but love and respect for John Cena. A lot of people have painted us as rivals, but it’s like an internet thing. It’s not a real thing. I root for John Cena, to see him be successful in films, it makes me feel good.

“So I’ve never rooted against John Cena. I will never root against him. But they, at the time he was the face of the company, and they were really steering everything towards him, and I got it.

“But while he was on films and commercials and endorsements, I was working. I was picking up the slack here and there, and it was a grind. I thought it was unfair and I should have those same opportunities within the company. And that’s the way I pitched it, I said ‘I should have these same opportunities. I’m pulling the same houses, I’m picking up the slack, I’m grinding my ass off, I’m at the top of the company, I’m champion.’”

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Recognizing that Cena fit the bill at the time, Batista would go on to reflect on WWE and its shift to PG programming, leading to his decision to leave, revealing:

“Our careers very much mirrored each other up to a certain point, and it’s just that he fit the bill. He was a great face of the company; they made the right choice. But it just didn’t sit well with me that I wasn’t getting the same opportunities, and I knew it was going to stunt my growth as an entertainer.

“The company had taken this really PG turn, and there was nothing f**king PG about me. Nothing. Not the way I wrestle, not the way I look, not my background, not my upbringing, nothing.

“John Cena in that way couldn’t be more opposite. So I was like, if I can’t have these opportunities here, and I understand why I can’t, I should be able to go and have them outside of the company. And they said, ‘Absolutely not, we need you here, we need you doing this, you’re intellectual property. You cannot work outside the company unless it’s approved by us.’ And I said, oh well, I’m gonna let my contract run out, and I’m going to leave. And they said ‘No, you’re not.’ Watch me.

“That’s why I left, and that’s why I didn’t go back until I landed Guardians of the Galaxy.”

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Guardians of the Galaxy was released in 2019 and would mark the start of Dave Bautista’s association with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, going on to play the character of Drax the Destroyer in its two sequels, Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame, and Thor: Love and Thunder, along with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

The Face Of WWE

When it comes to the “face of WWE”, it should be apparent why the likes of The Rock, John Cena and Cody Rhodes fit the bill over stars such as Batista.

Regardless of the caliber of their in-ring credentials, when it comes to taking WWE to other platforms, such as mainstream media, it’s arguably easier to sell a more conventionally appealing look to those audiences than it is the harder-edged presence of a star like Batista.

This isn’t to say that Batista should be kept hidden away, even as a top champion, as he has clearly demonstrated his standing as a movie actor, with the MCU, Dune and James Bond franchises benefiting from his star power.

It could be seen as a shallow world when considered in these terms, but it’s just as true of stars in WWE itself. Higher ups are always on the look out for their next top star and may push ones who don’t fit the template for mainstream success, but they’ll likely fall back on the old tropes of what is acceptable when pulling the trigger on the star they want to get success beyond the squared circle.

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• John Cena
• Batista
• dave bautista
• wwe

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