All All. Sign In. Play clip The Rise of Dave Bautista. David Michael Bautista, Jr. He has Filipino and Greek ancestry. When WCW officials told him he'd never make it in sports entertainment, Bautista pushed himself to achieve his dream of being a Superstar.
The wins impressed Ric Flair and Triple H, who were looking to align themselves with the industry's brightest new stars. After a lengthy search, they identified Randy Orton and Batista. Collectively the four Superstars became known as Evolution.
After a triceps injury at the hands of Mark Henry forced Batista to relinquish the title in January , he vowed to return.
Four months into his second reign, Batista faced the Undertaker at WrestleMania Though disappointed, Batista stayed hungry and always managed to keep himself in the championship hunt for the rest of his career. At Bragging Rights in , Batista shocked the world when he blamed Rey Mysterio for a loss to Undertaker, then attacked his former tag team partner. The grueling match at Over the Limit led to a wheelchair-bound Batista declaring "I quit!
In January , he made his long awaited return to the WWE, before quitting a second time in June of that same year. When Kurt travels to Thailand to meet his brother, he discovers he has died and seeks his revenge.
