Batista: “I went broke and lost everything”

Batista Says He Went Broke After Leaving WWE

Former WWE Superstar Dave Bautista, aka Batista, appeared at the Denver Pop Culture Con over the weekend, and talked about leaving WWE in 2010. Batista wanted to prove to WWE that he could succeed as an actor before ultimately returning to wrestling in 2014.

Batista on pursuing an acting career: “I wanted to pursue acting because I found out how bad I was at it. It’s a true story — I was horrible. It’s a true story. I was with WWE at the time, and I went and did a film. I had zero interest in acting. All I wanted to do was wrestle. I loved wrestling. I was obsessed with wrestling, and I went in to do a film as a favor for a friend, and I realized that I was horrible. I was a horrendous actor. I was mortified and I wanted to prove that I could be better, and the company, they wouldn’t let me do anything outside the company. I was stuck within the company wrestling and I wanted to pursue acting. They said, ‘Sorry we need you here. We need you on the shows.’ And I said, ‘Well, if you’re not going to let me pursue something that I’m really passionate about, then I’m going to leave.’ So about eight months later, I walked out the door and they didn’t think I was going to, and I walked out on top. I was very comfortable. I was making a very good living, and I walked out. Then I starved for three years. I went broke and lost everything. I couldn’t get a job. I said, ‘I will never go back to wrestling until I prove what I set out to prove, and that was that I could make it as an actor.’ And then I got the role in Guardians [of the Galaxy]. When I finished the film, the first call I made after I wrapped was to Vince McMahon. I said, ‘Hey man, I’d really like to come back and wrestle for a bit.’”

(Pwguru)