Dave Bautista is one in a long line of former professional wrestlers who have become actors. Certainly, his time as a professional wrestler was important to his future as an actor, but he says that words of wisdom from Triple H still carry him through his current career.
When Dave Bautista, known simply as Batista in WWE, first arrived, he was quickly paired up with Triple H, the man who would go on to become the Chief Creative Officer of WWE. Both on-screen and off, Triple H was a mentor to Bautista, part of the successful Evolution faction. Speaking with The School of Hard Knockz on Instagram, Bautsita says Triple H gave him two pieces of advice that are some of the best he’s ever received. He said…
I had a mentor named Triple H and there were a couple of things he said to me that always stuck with me. One of the things was when I first got there, I was so afraid. I didn't want to tick people off. It was a hierarchy thing. I was so afraid of being disrespectful. One day he said, 'Look man, you want to make money or you want to make friends? This is a business. You have to look at it like a business. You're a business.' I always thought about myself as my own commodity. I am my brand. Another thing he said, 'Always imagine that everybody is pointing a gun at your head. It's up to you how many bullets you give them.
Professional wrestling is very much a hierarchical industry, and giving respect to the veterans is usually a pretty big deal, so it makes sense that Bautista wanted to be careful when he first got there. He knew he was the new guy, and he wanted to make sure he stayed on the good side of the people who had earned their spot. Getting on the bad side of wrestlers can get one in a fair amount of trouble.
But Triple H, who by this point was one of those locker room veterans, instead told Bautista to worry more about himself than he did what others thought of him. Both pieces of advice ultimately boil down to the idea that while one should certainly take others into account, at the end of the day, you have to make the best decisions for your future.
For both Bautista and Triple H, the perspective appears to have worked. Both would be major stars in the world of professional wrestling. Triple H is now one of the major executives at WWE, while Bautista is one of the true success stories when it comes to wrestlers who have become actors.
And one can see just how seriously Bautista has taken his brand. While he has been the action hero that is the default role for people who came from wrestling, Bautista has branched out into dramatic roles in a way that stars like Dwayne Johnson and John Cena have not. Bautista wants to make a romcom.
And while John Cena and The Rock have continued to make regular WWE appearances, Bautista has thus far remained retired. These sorts of decisions help him stand out and build that brand.
