Dave Bautista Reportedly Turned Down An Appearance At WrestleMania 32

WWE is pulling out all the stops to sell out AT&T Stadium in Arlington and set an indoor attendance record at WrestleMania 32, from the return of The Rock and a rumored appearance from Ronda Rousey to the possible, ominous return of disgraced wrestling legend Hulk Hogan. While the rumor mill is flying on who’ll be there and what they’ll be doing, there’s one big-name former star we can guarantee won’t be there despite a big offer from WWE: Dave Bautista.

According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, Big Dave was offered big bucks for a non-wrestling, one-off appearance at the April event, but passed. It’s mentioned that the “door was left open” for creative to pitch him ideas and try to get him to bite, but one major thing is standing in the way: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 begins filming next month.

I think even the most passionate pro wrestling fan and Batista supporters would throw a WrestleMania appearance in the garbage if it compromised Drax the Destroyer’s role in a Guardians sequel. If I’m Batista, I’m prioritizing an affable space romp with Chris Pratt and a CGI raccoon, even if it’s just one day out of many, over an afternoon in Texas wandering by Triple H backstage and waving to a crowd.

×