Dwayne Johnson vs. Dave Bautista? Real reason for The Animal jumping ship to the DC Universe

Former WWE stars Dwayne Johnson and Dave Bautista ventured out into Hollywood with a wrestling background and have not looked back since. Johnson added another feather to his acting cap when he took on the role of anti-hero Black Adam in the namesake film last year. Over the past few years, Batista won hearts with his portrayal of Marvel's Drax The Destroyer.

The Rock's career in the DC Universe was cut short when filmmaker James Gunn cited that his character would not witness a sequel in the movie series. Last year, Johnson was credited with bringing back Henry Cavill to reprise his role as Superman. But that escalated when the actor's return was allegedly dismissed, with The People's Champion playing a detrimental role in the film creators' decisions.

Given Dave Bautista's impressive physique, he has mostly been associated with films in the action, adventure, or mystery genres. His most recent work was with legendary horror director M. Night Shyamalan on Knock at the Cabin and Rian Johnson's Glass Onion.

A couple of years ago, The Animal highlighted his interest in representing Batman's nemesis, Bane in the DC Universe. But this was prior to Gunn taking over and seemingly 'rebooting' and 'starting from scratch.' Despite the dismissal of rumors, another villain caught the attention of the retired WWE Superstar. This transpired when a fan took to social media to highlight that Dave Bautista would be apt for portraying Lex Luthor.

“I just never thought about playing that character. As soon as I saw that picture of myself next to Lex Luthor, I was like, ‘Man, that’s really interesting,'” Bautista continued. “It’s interesting to me. I’d be totally up for that, James Gunn.” [H/T Wrestle Zone]

The multi-time World Heavyweight Champion has also been vocal about his interest in venturing into dramatic films. Thus, citing that as one of the crucial reasons for his departure from the Guardians of the Galaxy movie series.

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Dave Bautista to be inducted in this year's WWE Hall of Fame?

Dave Bautista has been associated with WWE for nearly two decades. His career commenced and rose to prominence when he joined forces with Triple H, Ric Flair and Randy Orton to form Evolution in the early 2000s.

Batista wrestled his last match at WrestleMania 35 against former friend turned foe Triple H. Following the bout, the 54-year-old announced his retirement from in-ring competition and kept his Hollywood career as his focal point. He reportedly had no vested interest in returning to the ring in a competitor's capacity but was open to appearances across varied WWE programming.

In 2019, it was announced that the former Evolution member would be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but this was halted owing to the pandemic. While they cited that the inductees for that year were to be merged with the upcoming ones the following year, Dave Bautista was omitted from the list. He later apologized, stating that his acting schedule was colliding with the event.

During his recent interaction with ComicBook, Batista addressed his potential candidacy for the Hall of Fame this year:

"I hope so, but I can't say for sure," Bautista said. "I can say that I'm trying. I am trying." [H/T ComicBook]

During his WWE tenure, Batista feuded with many notable names in the industry, including The Undertaker, John Cena, and Randy Orton, among others. Additionally, he held the WWE Championship on two occasions and made major contributions to the heavyweight division.