Dave Bautista is one of the most popular wrestlers-turned-actors in Hollywood. More commonly known by his ring name “Batista”, he is most recognizable for his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Dax the Destroyer. In this piece, we'll be taking a look at Dave Bautista's Net Worth in 2022.
Dave Bautista's Net Worth in 2022 (Estimate): $16 Million
Dave Bautista's net worth in 2022 is $16 million. This is according to numerous reputable sources, including Celebrity Net Worth.
David Michael Bautista was born in Washington, D.C. His mother is of Greek descent, while his father is Filipino. He lived an impoverished childhood and committed several juvenile crimes.
As a young man, Bautista held down several jobs including being a nightclub bouncer and lifeguard. As a bouncer, he was arrested and sentenced to one year of probation. Eventually, Bautista decided to turn his life around to pursue bodybuilding, and later professional wrestling.
Bautista tried out for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) but was ultimately rejected and told that he'd “never make it in the wrestling business.” WWF accepted him, however, after he trained under Afa Anoua'i.
As “Batista,” he went through the WWF's developmental promotion Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), emerging as one of its most successful alumni. After two years in the OVW, Batista was promoted to the main roster.
He started as an enforcer for Reverend D-Von of the Dudley Boyz in SmackDown! as a heel. After feuding with D-Von, Batista was drafted to the Raw brand and aligned himself with legend Ric Flair.
He and Flair, together with Randy Orton and Triple H, formed the heel stable Evolution. Batista tore his triceps during the early stages of the stable, however, sidelining him for a while.
When he came back, though, he got his first championship with the company as he and Ric Flair won the Tag Championships in 2003. The pair and the team of Booker T and Rob van Damme took turns with the titles before Evolution lost it to Edge and Chris Benoit.
Evolution started to show cracks as Batista showed babyface tendencies despite the faction being heel. He and Triple H began feuding, leading up to an eventual World Heavywight Championship challenge. This came into fruition when Batista won the 2005 Royal Rumble, which gave him the opportunity to challenge Triple H for the Championship in Wrestlemania 21. This produced the famous “thumbs down” moment where he officially turned against the Evolution and into a babyface, attacking all Evolution members.
Batista main-evented WrestleMania and won the title against Triple H in a critically-acclaimed match and storyline conclusion. He main-evented several PPVs that year to defend the title, including when he became the first to pin Triple H in a Hell in a Cell match. He also led team SmackDown in the traditional Survivor Series match, after which he won the Tag Championships with Rey Mysterio.
Batista enjoyed his best year as a professional wrestler in 2005. He was the face of SmackDown! and one of the biggest draws of the company. Unfortunately, he would be forced to vacate the title due to a triceps injury.
Batista won the World Heavyweight title in 2006, 2007 and 2008 in more high-profile feuds with Booker T, Mr. Kennedy and Chris Jericho. He won the WWE Championship once against Randy Orton in 2009. However, he would have to vacate the title due to another triceps injury.
Batista would leave WWE for the first time in 2010, citing that he “did not like the direction the company was going.” However, Batista would return in 2014, tasked to be part of one of the biggest storylines of the decade in Daniel Bryan vs. the Authority.
Once again, he'd win the Royal Rumble to main-event WrestleMania. Initially, it was supposed to be a one-on-one against Randy Orton. However, Daniel Bryan was slotted in due to immense crowd pressure. Bryan would win the match by making Batista submit.
Batista's return received mixed-to-negative reactions, even spawning the “Boo-tista” nickname.
Besides pro wrestling, Dave Bautista is currently enjoying a breakout career in Hollywood, much like contemporaries Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and John Cena. He initially appeared in TV shows such as Smallville, Neighbors and Chuck. He then moved on to movies, the first of which would be RZA's The Man with the Iron Fists. Bautista also had roles in blockbusters Spectre and Blade Runner: 2049.
However, his most successful and most memorable role is his portrayal of Drax the Destroyer in the MCU. He first appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy, which received high critical praise. He'd return to the role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, again attaining critical praise. Finally, he'd appear in the MCU's ensemble films Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Batista's latest projects include roles in Army of the Dead (2021) and Dune (2021), with movies like Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story and Knock At The Cabin still to come.
Dave Bautista is a true success story. Coming from extremely humble beginnings, he managed to work his way up to becoming one of the biggest stars of the WWE in the 2000s, and now a bankable Hollywood star—not bad for someone who was told that he couldn't mak it in the wrestling business.
Through his admirable efforts and huge body of work in sports entertainment and in acting, Dave Bautista has accumulated a net worth of $16 million in 2022.
Were you surprised at Dave Bautista's net worth in 2022?
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