What is WWE veteran Dave Bautista's schedule for WrestleMania 40 weekend? Potential return explored

Over the last few months, rumors of Dave Bautista being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame have been doing the rounds. These rumors have also led to further speculations about The Animal making a potential appearance at WrestleMania 40 in April.

While WrestleMania 40 is a grand event and is expected to have massive names, Dave Bautista's schedule might not allow him to make an appearance at the premium live event. Recently, it was confirmed that the former WWE Superstar will be featured in a movie named Afterburn with Samuel L. Jackson.

The filming for Afterburn begins in April in Europe. While the dates are not mentioned, a strong reason why Dave Bautista could refrain from returning is the ongoing chaos in the Stamford-based promotion. However, given WWE has been popular for pulling off some of the best returns, one simply never knows.

Dave Bautista's last appearance in a WWE ring was at WrestleMania 35, where he wrestled Triple H in a No Holds Barred match. Despite putting in a decent effort against The Game, Bautista ended up on the losing side after Ric Flair interfered in the match.

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Bruce Prichard revealed why Dave Bautista did not face 7-time WWE Champion

Throughout his career in WWE, Dave Bautista faced some massive names. From Triple H to John Cena, Bautista shared iconic rivalries with legendary names. However, the one man he never faced inside the ring was seven-time WWE Champion Brock Lesnar.

During an episode of his Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard podcast, WWE Executive Director - CWT Bruce Prichard revealed the reason behind the same. Prichard was asked about why the Stamford-based promotion never booked a match between the two giants. Prichard answered by saying:

"Timing kids, timing. It's all about timing, you know. Wrong place, wrong time. And I think that would have been, you know, that could have been one of those that you build up for years before you finally do it."

You can check out the full podcast below:

While a match between Bautista and Lesnar seems unlikely even today, there are several other opponents the former can face if he makes a return. It will be interesting to see who Bautista will face if he makes an appearance at WrestleMania 40.

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