Dave Bautista is an American actor, former professional wrestler, bodybuilder and mixed martial artist. As the man behind Drax the Destroyer in Marvel’s Avengers films, Bautista has become a leading man in Hollywood, but how does that success translate to his net worth?
Dave Bautista Net Worth As Of 2018: $13 Million
With 2018’s biggest movie already under his belt and another blockbuster in Hotel Artemis set to release on June 8, 2018, $13 million seems to be just the beginning for Dave Bautista. However, this Guardian of the Galaxy had quite the tough life before making it big. So just how did he get from the squared circle to the red carpet?
1969-2000
Born January 18, 1969, in Washington D.C., David Michael Bautista Jr had a rough childhood. Bautista’s parents, Donna Raye and David Michael Bautista Sr, separated and eventually divorced, and Bautista has said in the past that he lived in poverty. By the time he was seventeen, Bautista was stealing cars and living on his own. After finding work as a bouncer, Bautista was arrested when a fight with rowdy patrons left a man unconscious. He then turned his attention to bodybuilding and eventually professional wrestling.
2000-2006
At the age of 31, Dave Bautista was signed to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), a developmental territory for WWF at the time. Bautista’s physique and athleticism made him a dominant performer, despite his rather late start in the profession. After just two years Bautista was promoted to the main WWF roster with the name “Batista” along with other notable OVW alums like Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, and John Cena.
Batista’s first professional wrestling storyline had him acting as the “enforcer” for Reverend D’Von, but the charismatic superstar soon became much more popular than his tag-team counterpart. It wasn’t long before Batista turned on Reverend D’Von and began a career as a singles wrestler and his meteoric rise to the top of the professional wrestling world.
Batista would go on to be one of the most successful superstars that WWE has ever produced as a six-time world champion and a four-time tag-team champion. He’s also the longest reigning World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history at 282 days and a two-time Royal Rumble winner (2005,2014). His career, however, was not without its rough patches.
2006-2014
Bautista was known in the WWE for occasionally having a bit of an attitude that would get him in trouble. In 2006 Bautista would have a backstage fight with fellow wrestler Booker T in the leadup to the SummerSlam pay-per-view. Bautista was also known to have relationships with WWE Divas.
In addition to the backstage heat, in 2007 Dave Bautista was accused of using anabolic steroids. Named when ESPN released a lit of wrestlers associated with Signature Pharmacy of Orlando, Florida, one of many pharmacies under investigation for filling illegal prescription drugs, Bautista denied ever being a customer of the pharmacy.
In 2010, Bautista would eventually leave the WWE, saying he “did not like the direction the company was going in”. This absence from the world of professional wrestling would last until 2014 when he announced is return and entrance into the 2014 Royal Rumble, winning the match and headlining Wrestlemania 30.
2014-Present
Bautista’s first exposure into acting was alongside fellow pro wrestler Bob Van Dam and rapper Ja Rule in the direct-to-DVD film Wrong Side of Town in 2010. Bautista would then star in the cult favorite, The Man with the Iron Fists as the villainous Brass Body. But his first real breakout would come in 2014 as Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy. The film was a huge commercial success and well-received critically. As part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Bautista would reprise his role as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, released in May 2017 and Avengers: Infinity War, released in April 2018.
Bautista’s other movies include Riddick (2013), Spectre (2015) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017) among many others. And with three more films set to come out this year alone, Drax won’t be standing still anytime soon.