By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Batista stood by his recent interview comments regarding Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson being a movie star, yet not being a great actor. Batista addressed the matter via social media and said he doesn’t bash anyone. “I’m not a disrespectful person,” he wrote. “I speak from the heart and sometimes it comes across harsh. I stand by the interview.”
Batista was referring to the following comments from a TampaBay.com interview: “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.”
Powell’s POV: I took the comments to mean that Batista is more concerned with the artistic side of acting than box office success. It’s fair to say that he could have been more selective with his wording regarding The Rock, but I appreciate his blunt and honest approach. There’s no word yet as to whether The Rock feels the same way, as he has yet to respond via social media, though one can only assume that the subject will come up in a media appearance at some point. It all seems like a good launching point for a WWE feud to me, but that’s probably wishful thinking since Batista has indicated in the past that he wants to end his WWE career with a Triple H program.
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
Check below for the new Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast with Jason Powell and former WWE Smackdown lead writer Alex Greenfield discussing the NXT call-ups, Stephanie McMahon’s past contributions to WWE creative, the growth of MLW, and much more.
Lmao. Of course Powell took it the way Batista suggested he meant it. Can’t piss off JR or Hunter.
Reality4u: Whilst I think you are a jackass, let’s see…
I’d rather watch the Tooth Fairy again, than see whatever Dave is in, I know Karen Gillan was in it as well, along with Andy from Parks and Rec
I was treated fairly … JACKASS
Batsita needs more are… to hide the trash he’s in.. not that the Tooth Fairy is anything to go buy… I left the Rock bandwagon when was driving around like a moron… How many of them have been made?
It’s very silly that the guy that was in Guardians of the Galaxy is commenting on the quality of another actor’s resume. GOTG was a cool movie, but it was not exactly an Oscar quality film either. The only thing I could see is that this could be setting up Rock vs. Batista for next year’s Wrestlemania.
I don’t think Rock or Batista will go down in history as great actors, but they’ve made a heck of a lot of money no doubt about that.