"I was borrowing money to pay for food"- Batista reveals how his life changed after first WWE run
WWE veteran Batista recently spoke with IGN about being broke before he landed the role of Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Batista is a popular name in Hollywood today and has done well for himself as an actor so far. He has a bunch of projects lined up as well, most notably Thor: Love and Thunder as well as Knives Out 2.
It's safe to say that The Animal is doing well financially. Things weren't as easy for Batista a few years ago, though. The former WWE Champion fell on hard times after his WWE exit in 2010 and was in a financial crunch before landing the role of Drax in 2013.
"And then when I got [cast], not only because I was broke, [everything changed]. When I say broke, my house was foreclosed, I had nothing, man. I sold all my stuff. I sold everything that I made from [when] I was wrestling. I had issues with the IRS. I was just lost in everything." revealed Batista.
"It wasn't many years [earlier] when I was just like borrowing money to pay for food, pay for rent. Borrow money to buy my kids Christmas presents. It wasn't long before all that stuff [had happened]. So it happened for me fast, which made it seem even that much more surreal. But it did, it changed my life. It gave me a life." Batista added.
Batista found more success after bagging the role of Drax
Batista's financial situation improved after he got the part of Drax. He was brought back to WWE on the road to WrestleMania XXX in 2014 and was involved in the WWE world title picture at the Show of Shows.
Batista won the Royal Rumble match to earn the spot, but failed to win the title in the main event of WrestleMania. He left WWE following a short-lived feud with The Shield.
Batista returned for a final WWE run in 2019. It ended at The Showcase of the Immortals where Batista lost to his mentor, Triple H. The WWE legend announced his retirement from pro-wrestling after the loss. Batista's WWE stint has surely ended but he has a lot left in the tank when it comes to his acting career.