By Helene - 03 August 2021
Like Dwayne Johnson and John Cena, Dave "The Destroyer" Batista made the jump from WWE wrestling to Hollywood. He recently admitted to IGN that he was broke before being offered the role of Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy, a film that changed not just his career, but his life.
"I didn't get any work for three years before guardians of the Galaxy. I had left wrestling behind for acting, thinking that I would never be an actor, and I would probably have to go back with my tail between my legs. But I would still be stuck in one place and I would never be able to get any further, so I'm glad I took this opportunity."
"At that time, I was really broke, the house was forced to be repossessed. I had to sell almost everything in my house that was worth anything, which I had earned from wrestling. The IRS came after me. I was at the end of my tether. "
"The Destroyer didn't just change my career, it changed the course of my life. I made it, and life has changed for the better. It's a little surreal, just a few years ago I was borrowing money to buy food, to pay rent, to lend money to my kids for Christmas presents."
"Guardians of the Galaxy" was so important to Batista, it's no wonder that when director James Gunn was fired from Disney, Batista was the least supportive actor. He even said that if Disney didn't use Gunn's script, he would quit the series and let the studio re-cast the cast.
In recent years, Batista's career has certainly been on the rise. In addition to starring in The Dead Division, this year he also starred in the sci-fi hit Dune and the Apple TV+ series See Season 2. Next year there's Thor 4, Knives Out 2, and the year after that there's Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3.
