Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Batista made headlines when he gave some interesting comments about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson during an interview with TampaBay.com.
It all started when Batista brought up how he “hates” being compared the likes of John Cena and Johnson due to their connection of wrestler who has made the successful transition from being a pro wrestler to an actor in Hollywood. He wants to be his own person and not seen in the same light as The Rock.
“Rock was, in a way, a movie star before he was even a movie star. There is something about him that’s really special. I’d never take that away from him. Would I consider him a great actor? F— no.”
“I want good roles. I don’t care about Fast and Furious or Bumblebee. … That’s not the kind of stardom I want. … I want to be in Dune. I want to work with Denis Villeneuve. I want to work with Sam Mendes and Jodie Foster. I want to work with Academy Award winners. I’m proud to be a character actor. I want that respect and credibility and education.”
Batista, who is expected to make his in-ring return under the WWE banner when he battles Triple H at WrestleMania 35, took to his official Twitter account to clarify his comments about The Rock. He wrote the following:
Retweeting this because although the headline is a bit misleading, I really appreciate them pointing out that I was not bashing anyone. I’m not a disrespectful person. I speak from the heart and sometimes it comes across harsh. I stand by the interview w/ @TB_Times #dreamchaser https://t.co/7yCtNasolh
— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) February 27, 2019