5 Things You Didn't Know About Dave Bautista
WWE legend Dave Bautista was today's guest on Lilian Garcia's Chasing Glory podcast. In the same day the Guardians of the Galaxy star announced his in-ring retirement, Bautista opened up like never before and revealed never before heard details from his twenty years in the public eye.
Bautista came clean regarding his struggles with learning challenges, why he really wanted last night's WrestleMania 35 match against Triple H, how he wasn't initially accepted backstage in WWE, his thoughts on one day going into the WWE Hall of Fame, and why he was the recent subject of widespread attacks on social media.
Join us for all this and more in 5 Things You Didn't Know About Dave Bautista.
#5 Bautista Saw The WrestleMania 35 Match As A Way To Honor Triple H
Dave Bautista wanted this match against Triple H for half a decade now, since he last appeared in a WWE ring. After leaving professional wrestling for Hollywood, something didn't sit well with the legendary WWE Superstar. Despite achieving mainstream success with Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, Bautista had unfinished business in the WWE and it "haunted" him.
He told Lilian Garcia,
"I felt like my career really got started when I started working with Hunter. I've never beat around the bush. Hunter made me a star in the company. He put a lot of stock in the company. He invested a lot in me. He put himself on the line physically for me. Not only did he put me over clean in the ring three times, but he also took the time to let me ride with him and let me pick his brain. He groomed me to be a star in that company."
Bautista always wanted to finish his career with a match against Triple H. He described the gesture in the following, "The only way I could really say thank you is to go out on my back for this guy."
The Hollywood icon believes in the old school wrestling mentality of giving back and going out on his back. He did just that last night at WrestleMania 35 in a losing effort against Triple H. The bout was later announced as Bautista's last ever wrestling match.