Former WWE Champion Reveals How Acting Changed His Desire To Wrestle

There was a time when Dave Bautista, or better known as Batista in the WWE, was a household name. He had a good run with the company before eventually turning his focus on show business.

Although the 52-year-old has been making cameo appearances in the WWE now and then, that may be about it. Unlike what Dwayne Johnson and John Cena have been doing, the former WWE champion has no plans to return to wrestling.

Some may argue that his rise in movies is to blame. But speaking to Men’s Health Magazine, Batista shed some light on why he is following this path.

"I'm not trying to separate myself from professional wrestling because I'm embarrassed or anything like that," he said. "It's just, I needed to make a name for myself and start all over and kind of just get people to see me in a different light. Because if people always see me as a pro wrestler turned actor, then they're going to put me in a box for roles."

Batista also added that somehow, he likes portraying the role of a bad guy. He had his share of this with the WWE when he was part of Evolution alongside Triple H, Randy Orton and Ric Flair. It appears it is pretty much the same in the movies for him.

"I found out in wrestling that I like being the bad guy," he said. "And I don't know why this happens, but there's something about me that people like as a bad guy."

Although he appears to be set, Batista could still appear but only in a certain capacity. Former WWE stars have done it in the past.

It is also possible that Batista is reaping the benefits of his hard work and is busy filming. He is at an all-time high right now but it would be best to never say never.

John Cena, someone who responded to the comments of Batista of not wanting to work alongside him or Johnson, understands where his fellow WWE alumnus is coming from.

“I don't have any beef with Dave and I really genuinely think Dave doesn't have any beef with me. He really just wants to be identified and recognized for his work. And I cannot fault him for that. I applaud him for it,” Cena said in a report from the Hollywood Reporter.