Biography

Dave Bautista

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Overview

Born
January 18, 1969 · Washington, District of Columbia, USA
Birth name
David Michael Bautista Jr.
Nicknames
- Kahn
- Deacon Batista
- The Animal
- DJ
Height
6′ 5½″ (1.97 m)

Mini bio

David Michael Bautista, Jr., born January 18, 1969, in Washington, D.C., to Donna Mullins and David Bautista, a hairdresser, has Filipino and Greek roots.

Defying WCW doubters, Bautista pursued his dream of becoming a superstar. debuting on SmackDown as Batista in May 2002, he gained prominence after moving to Raw and beating Kane twice. These wins drew attention from Ric Flair and Triple H, leading to the formation of Evolution with Randy Orton and Batista.

In December 2003, Batista won his first championship with "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair, holding the WWE Tag Team titles. As Evolution dominated, Batista emerged from Triple H's shadow, winning the 2005 Royal Rumble. A January 2006 triceps injury forced him to give up the title, but he returned to win the world heavyweight championship at Survivor Series. He challenged the Undertaker at WrestleMania 23 but didn't end the streak. Despite setbacks, Batista remained competitive.

He briefly joined MMA, winning his first fight. Returning to WWE in 2014, he left in June to star in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), with a cast including Chris Pratt, Benicio Del Toro, Zoe Saldaña, and Djimon Hounsou.

He will appear in Kickboxer: Vengeance (2016), directed by John Stockwell, with martial artist Alain Moussi and UFC fighter Georges St-Pierre. This remake of the 1989 film Jean-Claude Van Damme, Kickboxer (1989), tells of brothers David and Kurt Sloan seeking revenge after David wins the Karate World Championship.

After roles in Hotel Artemis (2018) and Final Score (2018), he guest-starred on WWE Smackdown! (1999) for its 1000th episode, reuniting with Evolution members. On February 25, 2019, he returned to WWE Monday Night RAW (1993), attacking Ric Flair, leading to a No Holds Barred match where Batista would decide Triple H's retirement. Triple H won, and Batista retired from wrestling to focus on acting.

His upcoming films include Escape Plan: The Extractors (2019) and My Spy (2020). He remains one of the wrestlers who've transitioned successfully into entertainment.
- IMDb mini biography by: Revitalizations@aol.com and jmmeisner@gmail.com (rewritten correctly, U.N. Owen 2025)

Family

Spouses
Children
Parents
Relatives

Trademarks

Smart dress and general appearance. In a similar style to the Four Horsemen of the 1980s
Finishing Move: Batista Bomb
Finishing move: Batista Bomb/Demon Bomb (Sit-Down Powerbomb)
Finishing move: Double Leg Spinebuster
Trademark move: Clothesline

Trivia

Is a collector of steel lunchboxes.
Has a Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Cesar Gracie, and is trained in Muay Thai, Wushu& Kickboxing.
Is an accomplished break dancer, a skill used in a TV trailer for Summerslam 2004.
Published author.
His father was born in Washington, DC, of three-quarters Filipino and one-quarter British Isles (English/Irish) ancestry. Dave's Filipino grandfather received US citizenship after fighting in World War II. Dave's mother has Greek ancestry.

Quotes

I look like a gorilla, just the way I'm built.
I had been struggling to get roles in Hollywood for three and a half years after leaving the WWE. Then I finally got an agent - the agent I have now. He's a great guy, but he turned me down three times before he even decided to take me on a as a client.
I don't watch my playbacks because I hate to see myself act.
It was always one of my favorite things, the action figures, the video games, when I was with WWE, even though I'm not a gamer. I would literally go out and buy the games just so I could play myself.
People look at me, and they have a certain perception, and they slap a label on me. The guy you saw in a wrestling ring is not who I am.