“Didn’t want to piss people off,” Dave Bautista reveals he was extremely afraid of being disrespectful to people in WWE upon debut, names 2 advices that changed his life
If it wasn't for his mentor who showed him the way early on in his WWE career, Dave Bautista wouldn't have made it big as a wrestler.
Dave Bautista [via- Variety]
Before sizing up the stature of a king’s ransom in Hollywood, Dave Bautista was a force to be reckoned with in WWE. The trepidation came in handy for him upon his WWE debut though. While speaking to The School of Hard Knocks, the 55-year-old revealed he was so afraid of getting on the wrong side of the higher-ups. He didn’t want to p*ss them off by being disrespectful, not even inadvertently.
During those days, he found a mentor in Triple H that he looks up to even at present. Hunter bestowed a couple of advices on Dave that helped him overcome the hierarchical bogey in WWE. First, he told the Riddick actor to look at pro wrestling as merely a business if he wanted to make money out of it.
As a result, Bautista started taking pride in himself as a brand, as if he were a commodity. The second piece of advice that The Game instilled in Bautista was telling him to imagine that a gun was being pointed at his head by everyone. It was up to him how many bullets he could give them.
One of the things was when I first got there, I was so afraid…I didn’t want to p*ss people off……One day he said, ‘Look man, you want to make money or you want to make friends? This is a business. You have to look at it like a business.
Dave Bautista via The School of Hard Knocks
Dave’s first major break in WWE came when he won the Royal Rumble match in 2005. However, it didn’t come without an added pinch of drama. The Animal and John Cena were the final two, and both botched the finish. Vince McMahon came fuming down the ring and ordered the restart of the match.
Eventually, Bautista was victorious. However, when he saw the look on McMahon’s face, he thought he was done and Vince would fire him. Dave had already skipped a live event the day prior to spend time with his mother. Moreover, he was late to the pay-per-view as well.
Does Dave Bautista still get tempted for a WWE return?
Before the release of his latest movie, The Killer’s Game, Dave Bautista spoke to Chris Van Vliet. During the conversation, he admitted that he still misses being inside a WWE arena with fans going bonkers every time he did his entrance.
When asked if he’d consider coming out of retirement for another match, the Washington-based actor denied. He asserted that he doesn’t want to sabotage his storybook ending. At WrestleMania 35, the former Evolution member lost to longtime mentor Triple H and retired immediately after the event.
Even though there would always be a temptation, the 6-time World Champion has made up his mind that his time in the ring has passed. The only feasible way for him to plot a WWE return at this point is the impending Hall of Fame induction. Dave’s due for the honor since 2020, and he said he’d still love to be inducted one day.
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