For years Batista was one of the top stars in WWE, but he parted ways with the company in 2010 and started to put as much focus as he could on his acting career. It seems that the effort has paid off as Batista has been receiving a lot of praise for his performance in movies like Guardians of the Galaxy and Glass Onion.
Recently the former WWE Champion spoke to GQ about his early days breaking into acting and he revealed that Steve Austin gave him some important advice as he was getting ready to change careers.
“Before I left WWE, Stone Cold Steve Austin pulled me aside and said, ‘You’re going to get offers for horrible scripts. The money will be tempting. Don’t get caught in that trap.’”
Batista last stepped into the ring a few years ago when he was defeated by Triple H at WrestleMania 35. He confirmed shortly after that he considered himself to be retired from professional wrestling following the match. It was reported recently that The Animal was backstage at SmackDown in Tampa, but he didn’t appear on camera.
Originally Batista was set to be part of the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame class, but he has yet to be officially inducted. Although it hasn’t been confirmed yet it’s expected that he will be inducted this year as part of the WrestleMania festivities in Hollywood.
