‘It’s Nothing Compared To Wrestling’ – Former Champion Compares Hollywood & WWE Career ‘Grind’

WWE

A Hollywood star has compared their time in WWE to their acting career, revealing the hardships that punctuated their early run.

Known to WWE fans as Batista, Dave Bautista has carved out an impressive career as a Hollywood star and recently compared both experiences.

Speaking to W.O.L.F. GYMS, Batista revealed that the acting ‘grind’ sees long days, but it didn’t compare to his experience in the wrestling world, saying:

“It’s definitely a grind. Filmmaking is long hours, a lot of sitting around. It takes a lot of patience, but it’s nothing compared to wrestling. I always tell everybody, coming from wrestling, like this is gravy. Because when I was wrestling, not only was I grinding and grinding harder, but it was in a different spot every night.

“That’s the luxury about filmmaking. You’re typically in the same place for long periods of time. Whereas wrestling, you’re changing towns every night, every day; you’re moving, hustling. Also, nobody’s catering to you. Nobody is setting up stuff for you. You don’t have a trailer, people there helping you with things and moving you along and making your life easier; there’s none of that.

“You’re grinding. I can’t speak for how it is now, but when I was there (in WWE) you’re just grinding, you’re pulling your own weight and most of the time it’s not only physically very difficult and mentally very difficult, it’s also expensive. When I was wrestling, they pretty much provided you with airfare, and that was it. Not food, not cars, not hotels, none of that.”

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To highlight the point further, Batista would look back at his early days, having signed his WWE developmental deal in 2000, following a period of training under Afa Anoaʻi, saying:

“So my first few years of wrestling I was broke, until 2005 when I became world champion and began to make some money; I was still borrowing money from people.

“I was living in a tiny apartment when I was world champion, ‘cause I had just become world champion, hadn’t started making money yet. I used to go to those check-cashing places and get like a $300 loan. And then you’d come back, pay it and borrow another 300 and do that week after week.

“Around 2005 is when I didn’t have to do that anymore, and I started to make money. But until then I was grinding.”

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A four-time World Heavyweight Champion and two-time WWE Champion, Batista would also hold the World Tag Team Championship three times and is a former WWE Tag Team Champion.

The WWE Hall Of Famer That Never Was

Back in 2020, the WWE Hall of Fame was to see Batista inducted, only for the ceremony to be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, witht the class inducted alongside the 2021 cohort the following year.

For Batista, however, he was absent from the ceremony, with his induction still not having taken place.

Speaking in 2021, Batista revealed that he wouldn’t be in attendance at the Hall of Fame, noting that he had requested, and WWE agreed, to a future induction when he could “properly thank the fans”, something he clearly felt unable to do with the closed nature of the event.

Now five years after the 2021 Hall of Fame, Batista is still without a WWE Hall of Fame induction, though remains busy with outside ventures, returning to movie screens in the near future in Alpha Gang, Road House 2 and Highlander, as well as providing voice work in Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender and Ally, the upcoming animated adventure from Academy Award winner Bong Joon Ho, which is set for release next year.

With names for the Class of 2027 not yet revealed, adding Batista to next year’s ceremony is a possibility, although there’s always the possibility that John Cena will be the marquee induction.

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• dave bautista
• Hollywood
• Acting
• wwe
• Batista

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