Looking into the strongest competitor’s forays into film. We look at Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Dave Bautista’s respective careers.
World Wrestling Entertainment has long led the charge of pushing professional wrestling into mainstream crossover territory. At first, that meant inviting celebrities to watch and sometimes participate in wrestling events, but as the new millennium began, wrestlers began breaking barriers by exiting the squared circle and walking under the bright lights of Hollywood. Here, we are going to discuss two of the biggest names to break those barriers in Dwayne Johnson and Dave Bautista. Both men have storied careers in the ring and have etched their names as excellent actors as well. While their careers bear similarities, they have each walked their own path. But which one can claim to be the better man?
The Rock Vs. The Animal
In their pro wrestling careers, both men have blazed trails. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would debut in the early ’90s, initially under the name of Rocky Maivia, a tribute to his father and grandfather. Audiences would begin turning on the third-generation star, and “The Rock” would soon be born. The Rock would go on to win the Intercontinental title, carry the Tag Team titles with multiple partners (most notably, Mankind in the Rock & Sock Connection), and hold a World championship ten times.
Bautista (wrestling under the altered name of Batista) would debut for the company’s main roster in 2002, wrestling in a minor role before joining Triple H, Ric Flair, and Randy Orton in the group known as Evolution. During this time, Batista would get to fight The Rock at Wrestlemania in a handicap match, with Batista teaming with his Evolution stablemates against Dwayne and Mankind. Batista’s accolades include wearing the Tag titles with multiple partners and holding a World title six times. He was also set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame shortly after retiring, but due to scheduling conflicts and complications from the pandemic, Batista elected to postpone his induction for a later date to be determined.
Intros to Hollywood
Dwayne Johnson would become one of the first wrestlers to star in a major franchise, having appeared as the Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns (2001). After this, Johnson became enamored with Hollywood, leaving the WWE to focus on his acting career. Critics would point to the less-than-stellar CGI technology for the time as hindering the Rock’s performance but the studio still elected to have him reprise his role for the spinoff film The Scorpion King (2002).
Bautista’s intro to Hollywood was less glamorous. There were also already many films starring Dwayne, so wrestlers like Bautista, John Cena, and The Miz weren’t under as intense a microscope. Bautista would have the time to hone his skills, receiving his first credit in My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? (2009), and even performing in The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption (2011).
Breakout Roles
Dwayne Johnson would have many appearances leading smaller films after his initial run as the Scorpion King. The Rock’s first major appearance in a blockbuster franchise would be his debut as Luke Hobbs in Fast Five (2011), a role he would reprise four times, including his spinoff Hobbs & Shaw (2019). Johnson would soon become a major star, with multiple major films being released in a calendar year.
Bautista would have years to hone his skills in independent films before he had his breakthrough appearing as Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). He would reprise this role in five films and would also bring the character to streaming as part of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022). He would then appear in multiple blockbusters, such as Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Stuber (2019), and Army of the Dead (2021)
Modern Day
Dwayne Johnson recently entered into the genre of superhero films, making his presence known as the titular character in Black Adam (2022). Looking to cover both the live-action and animated worlds, Johnson would also provide voice work for Krypto the Super Dog. Due to recent events, it would appear that Johnson’s role in the DCU may be over, but the star currently has a Christmas film called Red One (2023) slated to release on Amazon Prime.
Dave Bautista has had a stellar time working with some prolific modern-day directors. First working with Taika Waititi in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), Rian Johnson in Glass Onions: A Knives Out Mystery (2022), and M. Night Shymalan in Knock at the Cabin (2023). Bautista is currently set to say goodbye to the MCU, with remarks leading to the speculation that with James Gunn leaving to helm the DCU, Bautista will be performing as Drax the Destroyer for the final time in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). Both performers bring plenty of pros and cons to the table, with the Dwayne Johnson carrying such strong name recognition, adding him to a project provides immediate box office appeal. Dave Bautista is known just as well for his summer blockbusters, but has also shown a great range in his roles, playing morally upright and comedic characters as well as evil, violent characters. Which of these men do you think proved themselves as the best to go from the ring to the film set?
