WWE legend looks unrecognizable after seemingly losing weight; was 290 lbs when we last saw him 5 years ago

A WWE legend looked unrecognizable after seemingly losing weight and muscle. The wrestling legend was around 290 pounds during his last WWE appearance five years ago at WrestleMania 35.

Dave Bautista, famously known as Batista in WWE, made his name as a wrestler before becoming a household name in Hollywood. The Animal's latest project is a movie called Afterburn starring him along with Samuel L. Jackson and Olga Kurylenko.

In a post on her official Instagram account, actress Eden Epstein shared a photo of Batista along with director J.J. Perry on the set of Afterburn. Epstein was very thankful to the former WWE Champion for inviting her to participate in the film.

"@davebautista is simply one of the best people in my life. I'm a very lucky lady to have been invited on to #afterburnmovie xx big love to sneaky genius @jimmyruggiero for taking these sweet bts pics," Epstein wrote.

The star looked incredibly slim and nowhere close to his 290-pound frame when fans last saw him in a wrestling ring at WrestleMania 35. He looks to have also lost a lot of his muscle.

Batista didn't look as muscular as before in his roles in Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Dune: Part Two, My Spy: The Eternal City, and The Killer's Game. He will be playing an ex-soldier in Afterburn, a movie about a post-apocalyptic earth a decade after a solar flare wiped out technology.

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Batista still awaiting WWE Hall of Fame induction

WWE announced in December 2019 that Batista will be the first member of the Hall of Fame Class of 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the ceremony and he was unable to be part of the 2021 event due to a scheduling conflict.

Batista then announced last year that he'd finally be getting inducted into the Hall of Fame until a last-minute logistical problem further delayed his well-deserved accolade. He was filming a movie in South Africa and he faced some travel issues, as per Inside the Ropes.

The Animal is one of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood at the moment. His next chance to get into the Hall of Fame is next year where the ceremony takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In addition to the movies mentioned above, Batista will also star in upcoming films such as In The Lost Lands, Aang: The Last Airbender, Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas, The Last Showgirl, Trap House, and Grendel.