Dave Bautista Net Worth - Wealthy Gorilla

Net Worth:	$16 Million
Box Office Gross:	$10.3 Billion
Age:	57
Born:	January 18, 1969
Height:	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Country of Origin:	United States of America
Source of Wealth:	Professional Wrestler/Actor
Last Updated:	Mar 2, 2026

Table of Contents

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• Introduction
• Wrestling Career
• WWE Salary
• Acting Career

Introduction

Dave Bautista is an American professional actor and retired wrestler with an estimated net worth of $16 Million.

Wrestling Career

Dave Bautista signed with the World Wrestling Federation in 2000 and became a member of the Disciples of Synn stable. He went undefeated until being beaten by Kane and Steve Austin at Christmas Chaos as part of Ohio Valley Wrestling, a WWF developmental branch. Bautista wrestled in his first WWF match in 2001, defeating Nick Dinsmore and winning the OVW Heavyweight Championship from Doug Basham. A few months later, he left OVW after being promoted to WWE’s main roster as one of their professional wrestlers.

Dave Bautista made his WWE in-ring debut during a tag team match with Reverend Von-D against Randy Orton and Faarooq. After splitting with Von-D, Bautista was assigned to Raw and renamed Batista, after which he feuded with Kane.

In 2003, he joined Triple H, Flair, and Orton to form the heel stable Evolution, although he was sidelined for much of the year due to a tricep tear. However, in 2005, Bautista became a threat to Triple H’s World Heavyweight title, and at the Royal Rumble, he ended up beating his former ally. Soon after, he won rematches at Backlash and Vengeance, becoming the first wrestler to pin Triple H during a Hell in a Cell match.

In 2006, Bautista faced Big Show for the ECW World Championship and won the match via disqualification, but not the championship title. Two years later, he defeated Orton at Extreme Rules in a cage match to win his first WWE Championship title. Bautista then participated in the Royal Rumble in 2010 but was eliminated by John Cena, sparking another feud. After losing to Cena multiple times, Bautista quit, and Cena threw him off a car, resulting in a compression fracture in his spine.

Return To WWE

Dave Bautista made his return to WWE in 2014 to win the Royal Rumble, but his victory was booed heavily by fans as he turned heel. However, he split from the company once more a year later, citing creative differences, but stated that he was still interested in non-televised events.

While he was out for a while, Bautista ultimately returned once more in 2018 to reunite with Evolution on SmackDown’s 1000th episode. Bautista then faced Triple H at WrestleMania in a No Holds Barred match, but he lost due to interference from Ric Flair and then announced his retirement.

In 2020, Bautista was set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, though the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, he was unable to attend the induction ceremony and requested that the WWE induct him in a future ceremony.

WWE Salary

According to multiple reports, when Dave Bautista first signed with the WWE (then known as the WWF) in 2000, he was paid just $640 per week, totaling approximately $33,600 per year. By the mid-2000s, he was earning a base salary of roughly $1 million per year, in addition to earnings from merchandise, PPV splits, and event appearances.

Acting Career

Along with being a world-renowned wrestler, Dave Bautista has proven himself to be a skilled actor, with numerous film roles to his name. He guest-starred in the sixth season of Smallville in 2006 and made a brief cameo in the series Chuck and Relative Strangers in 2010.

In 2014, he got his big acting break when he was cast alongside Chris Pratt as Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy. Following that, he played Mr. Hinx in Spectre and, in 2017, reprised his role as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. He would return to the role three more times in Avengers Infinity War (2017), Avengers: Endgame (2018), and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). Bautista also starred in Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead and Dune in 2021, and he will reprise his role in Dune: Part Two in 2024.