Proud of what he has accomplished before retiring from professional wrestling for good, the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' actor thanks fans for allowing him to entertain them and for the journey.
- Apr 9, 2019
AceShowbiz - Dave Bautista has officially retired from wrestling following a defeat at the WWE's Wrestlemania event.
The "Guardians of the Galaxy" star has focused on his film career in recent years, but returned to the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) promotion to challenge his one-time mentor Triple H, real name Paul Michael Levesque.
The duo finally settled their differences in the ring at Wrestlemania in New Jersey on Sunday, April 07, with Triple H winning following a brutal no holds barred match and sending Bautista into retirement.
Confirming he would no longer wrestle in a post on his Instagram page, Dave wrote "To all the @wwe fans across the world that gave me the opportunity to suspend your disbelief, thank you. From the biggest part of my heart thank you for letting me entertain you. Tonight was my story book ending and I wanted to leave you with all I had to give. I'll miss this theater of violence more than I can express in words but I am officially retiring from Sports Entertainment."
He added that he was "proud" of what he achieved, and had ended his sports entertainment career in "great health".
Bautista, who joined the WWE in 2002 and went by the ring name 'Batista' or 'The Animal', also debuted a new trailer for his forthcoming movie "Stuber" during Wrestlemania. His co-star in the action comedy Kumail Nanjiani, also cheered him on from the audience at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium.
@WWEUniverse Thank you for letting me entertain you. I love this business and whether you cheered me or jeered me, I’m grateful for being a small part of your life. I am officially retired from sports entertainment and I am grateful for every second of my amazing journey ✌🏼
— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) 8 April 2019
The now-retired wrestler plays a grizzled detective on the trail of a terrorist, while Nanjiani plays an Uber driver roped into helping him catch his quarry.