Former WWE Superstar Batista is now one of Hollywood’s top acts.
After an incredibly successful in-ring career which saw him win the Heavyweight Championship multiple times, the former Evolution member left the squared circle for the bright lights of Tinsel Town.
After arriving in Hollywood The Animal secured lucrative roles playing, Sapper Morton in Blade Runner 2049, Hinx in James Bond: Spectre and Drax in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. However, although fruitful, the move was not without its risks. During an interview on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Batista revealed how his mother thought he was crazy for making the career switch.
“So I was raised by a single mom. Yeah, raised by a single mom. I was such an introverted child when I went into professional wrestling. My mom, my whole family, they couldn’t believe it because I was such a shy person.
So it was when I left professional wrestling when I said, Mom, I, you know, because I was really on top. I was like, Mom, I think I’m going to leave professional wrestling. I really want to pursue acting. She said, you’re crazy. I said, but, you know, it’s really what I want to do. But my mom is my biggest fan and we are extremely close.”
h/t Fightful
Batista Explains Why He Left WWE For Hollywood
Recently speaking to BuzzFeed Celeb, the movie star opened up on why he left the professional wrestling business for Hollywood.
I would still be involved with WWE, I hope. Because I really loved it. It wasn’t that I ever wanted to not be a part of that universe because I love the WWE Universe. It was just that I became so passionate about acting, and I’m still pursuing it with everything I have, but I still love that world.”
In other news, Batista reveals the gimmick that hampered his WWE career.