During an interview with Lauren Larson of Men’s Health, Dave Bautista (Batista) discussed his early days in WWE being difficult due to the cutthroat nature of pro-wrestling.

“I couldn’t get comfortable, people didn’t like me, I was doing something wrong, the company wasn’t going to do anything with me, they didn’t know what to do with me, they didn’t know where I fit in. It was just a very toxic atmosphere. Wrestling is very competitive. It’s very cutthroat. You’re put in a position where you have to posture up all the time, and it’s exhausting. It’s just exhausting.”

On transitioning from pro wrestling Hollywood:

“I didn’t want to be the guy coming from wrestling, taking these easy action roles and just kind of pumping up and putting baby oil on my arms. I really fell in love with acting.”

“I’m not trying to separate myself from professional wrestling because I’m embarrassed or anything like that. It’s just, I needed to make a name for myself and start all over and kind of just get people to see me in a different light. Because if people always see me as a pro wrestler turned actor, then they’re going to put me in a box for roles.”