Dave Bautista: WWE Denied Him Acting Opportunities, Leading to His 2010 Departure

Dave Bautista left WWE in 2010 after being told he couldn’t pursue acting opportunities outside the company, despite his desire to build a film career while still under contract.

Speaking on the Live Fierce podcast with W.O.L.F Gyms co-owner Cale Owen, Bautista explained that he had wanted to transition into acting while still with WWE, which was producing films at the time. However, he felt the company’s focus was heavily concentrated on one individual.

Before addressing the situation, Bautista was quick to clarify his stance regarding his former rival.

“This is not like 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 just not a real thing,” Bautista said. “I root for John Cena. To see him being successful in films makes me feel good. I’ve never rooted against John Cena. I will never root against him.”

His frustration stemmed from what he perceived as unequal treatment.

“At the time, he was the face of the company, and they were really steering everything toward him, and I got it,” Bautista said. “But while he was doing films and commercials and magazines and endorsements, I was working. I was picking up slack here and there, and it was a grind. And I thought it was unfair, and I thought I should have those same opportunities within the company.”

He stated that he made his case directly to WWE management.

“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 a*s off. I’m at the top of the company. I’m champion,” Bautista said. “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.”

According to Bautista, part of the challenge was that WWE had evolved in a direction that didn’t align with his persona.

“The company had taken this really PG turn, and there was nothing f*cking PG about me. Nothing. Not the way I wrestled, not the way I looked, not my background, not my upbringing, nothing,” Bautista said. “John Cena, in that way, couldn’t be any more opposite.”

He requested permission to pursue opportunities elsewhere, but received a definitive refusal.

“I said, if I can’t have these opportunities here, and I understand why I can’t, well, I should be able to go and have them outside the company. And they said, absolutely not,” Bautista said. “They said, no, 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.”

His response ultimately led to his departure.

“I said, oh well, then I’m going to let my contract run out, and I’m going to leave. And they said, no, you’re not. Watch me,” Bautista said.

The consequences were immediate and severe. Bautista didn’t return to WWE until 2014, by which time he had secured the role of Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy.

“I went broke in those three years. I went broke. My house got foreclosed on. I lost everything,” Bautista said. “I was in debt again.”

He noted that his film work during this period didn’t come close to matching his WWE earnings.

“I worked a few times as an actor, but I didn’t get paid much. I think I did a couple films that paid me like 50 grand each,” Bautista said. “But when you go from making millions in wrestling to making 50 grand a year, when you’ve got all the same bills and you’ve got people to support, a lot of people lose sight of that.”

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