Imagine being a grandfather of two at barely age forty. Well, for Dave Bautista, that’s no imagination at all. This father of three is also a tattoo Junkie, a passionate collector of vintage lunchboxes and a bestselling author. Yes! He’s still the Dave Bautista you know. But rather than gush about his wrestling stint, let’s begin on a different note. Now retired from wrestling, Bautista works as a Hollywood actor, bodybuilding coach and continues to receive more accolades for his incredible wrestling records. One of which is; the longest-reigning World Heavyweight Champion.
Before calling it quits, Dave Bautista was one of the most successful WWE wrestlers of his day. In a career spanning twenty years, Bautista has won the World Heavyweight Championship four different times and the WWE Championship twice. He also won the Royal Rumble for 2005 and 2014. Read on as we show you the Bautista you probably never knew. Enjoy!
Dave Bautista’s Bio, Age, Ethnicity
Dave Bautista was born—David Michael Bautista Jr.—on January 18, 1969, in Arlington, Virginia to parents, David Michael Bautista and Donna Raye. His parents got divorced when he was still young and he, together with his two siblings—Michael and Donna—were reportedly raised by their mother in a crime infested neighborhood; and in poverty. As Bautista recounts, he had witnessed three killings in front of their home at age nine and began stealing cars at age thirteen.
At seventeen, the teenage Dave had a terrible dispute with his mother and left home; living on his own and working as a bouncer for several clubs to sustain himself financially. But his new-found comfort didn’t last for long. Following a scuffle at one of the clubs, Bautista was arrested and sentenced to one-year probation. After serving his term, he switched lanes into professional bodybuilding. An art which he recounts potentially saved his life.
Career
Dave Bautista got his start with the Wild Samoan Training Center wrestling school. There, he trained under Afa Anoa’i. Young Bautista also took lessons in Muay Thai and Eskrima. Following the completion of his training, he signed a contract with WWE and began competing at the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW); under the ring name “Leviathan”. A year later, in 2000, he fought in his first tournament and won the OVW Heavyweight Championship. Bautista’s speedy advancement made him a worthy prospect and soon, he was given a spot on the WWE main roster.
His incredible 20-year wrestling career officially began in 2000 when he changed his ring name from “Leviathan” to “Batista.” Since that time, Bautista has won the World Heavyweight Championship four times and the WWE Championship twice. As of this writing, he remains the longest reigning World Heavyweight Champion for holding the title for 282 days.
More so, Bautista has clinched the World Tag Team Championship thrice—twice with Ric Flair and once with John Cena—and the WWE Tag Team Championship once—with Rey Mysterio. Perhaps his shiniest moment came in 2005 and nine years later in 2014, when he won the Royal Rumble tournaments. His 2014 win came after re-signing with WWE in 2013. Following a second return in 2018, Bautista challenged Triple H at WrestleMania 35 in April of 2019, but lost. He officially bowed out of professional wrestling the same month.
But before calling it quits, Dave Bautista had begun a successful acting career. Although he’d began appearing in films since 2009, his big break never came until 2014 when he starred as Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy. This big appearance became the trigger for his subsequent success. According to sources, He is another wrestling-to-acting success story; after Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Bautista was also cast in the film’s sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy 2; which was released in 2017. So far, he’s starred in no less than thirty films including House of the Rising Sun (2011), The Man with the Iron Fists (2012), Riddick (2013), Kickboxer: Vengeance (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Escape Plan 2: Hades (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Stuber (2019). Bautista will also appear in the soon-to-be-released films Escape Plan: The Extractors (2019), My Spy (2019) and Dune (2020).
Dave Bautista’s Net Worth
Dave Bautista’s extensive wrestling career—coupled with acting—has earned him so much popularity and a sizeable fortune too. According to sources, his net worth is currently estimated at $13 million. However, there are still no specifics as to his annual take home.
Wife, Parents
As of this writing, Dave Bautista has been married thrice. He and Glenda were married back in 1990 and had two daughters together—Keilani (b. 1990) and Athena (b. 1992). However, the union ended in divorce in 1998. That same year—on October 13, 1998—he married Angie. But they divorced in 2006 after having a son, Oliver Bautista. His third marriage was in October 2015, to professional pole dancer, Sarah Jade. However, sources reveal that the couple was separated as of early 2019. Neither Bautista nor Jade has confirmed or rebuffed these speculations yet. Bautista is a proud grandfather of two; as his first daughter, Keilani has twin boys—Jacob and Aiden.
See Also: Mika Rotunda of WWE – Bio, Father (Mike Rotunda) And Sister (Bray Wyatt)
Dave Bautista was born to Filipino-Greek parents who had some roots in Puerto Rico. His parents—David Michael Bautista and Donna Raye—divorced when Bautista was still young. His father is the son of Filipino immigrants while his mother is of Greek descent. His father reportedly works as a hairdresser in the DC area.
Height and Body Measurement
Dave Bautista is well built and muscle-toned. He stands, 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 meters) tall and weighs a whopping 265 lbs (121 kg). He has black hair and dark brown eyes. As far as specifics go, his chest, arms, and waist measure 55-20-36 inches. While his thighs and claves measure 28 and 16 inches respectively. Bautista wears a shoe size of 13 (US).
