WWE legend and Hollywood star Dave Bautista breaks silence about body transformation and releases heartfelt statement

WWE legend Dave “Batista” Bautista has spoken in a heartfelt statement about the positive impact his dramatic physical transformation has had on him.

Bautista, 55, joined fellow wrestling legends Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and John Cena in making his way to Hollywood, and has been working full-time as an actor since retiring from the ring in 2019.

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The American burst onto the wrestling scene in 2002 thanks to his enormous size and quickly rose to fame after joining the legendary Evolution group.

The popular heavyweight boxer went on to defeat numerous wrestling greats, including Cena, The Undertaker, Triple H and Randy Orton, and win six world titles.

The former WWE Champion weighed around 290 pounds (21 stone) throughout most of his career as a wrestler, with his highest weight to date being a whopping 370 pounds (26 stone).

But the former world heavyweight champion has left it all behind for his latest role in The Killer's Game, dropping down to a staggering 240lbs (17 stone).

Batista looked like a completely different person, leading some fans to worry about his health.

However, the Avengers star finds himself feeling much better now and insists it was a fun experience.

The Guardians of the Galaxy actor claims it took a lot of hard work to get his current physique, but knows it was worth it as he now looks much better in front of the camera, and he suggested this could lead to bigger opportunities that he'd previously been turned down because of his larger size.

“I started losing weight for a very specific reason,” Bautista told Chris Van Vliet. [to play other roles]First of all, I started losing weight because I had gained weight. I had gained a lot of weight for the role. [Knock at the Cabin] And it was uncomfortably loud.

“I was really fat, I weighed about 315lbs (22.5 stone) and I gained weight really quickly. I gained weight on fries and pancakes. The manager told me, 'I don't want you to look like a powerlifter, I just want you to look like a really big guy'.”

“It took me a long time to let my hair down, and I realised that the more I had it shaved off, the better I felt. I also realised that the more I had it shaved off, the better I looked on camera. I looked better next to the other actors.”

“People think, ‘Oh my God, you’re so skinny!’ I’ve seen people lined up concerned about my health, and I tell people out loud: I’m 6-foot-4 and I weigh 240 pounds. [still] A big person.

“People think I’m anorexic because they’ve seen me get bigger over the years, but I’m still a larger person.

“At 6'4 and 240 pounds, I look like a gorilla next to the average actor. Plus, it's distracting. So I'll probably lose a few more pounds, because I work so hard to get in shape.”

“Because I'm training, my calorie intake is pretty restricted – about 2,500 calories a day. It's not a big deal for me, I just don't eat much.” [But] I'm not starving.”