Did Batista bash The Rock’s acting skills? WWE superstar explains recent comments

Did Batista (Dave Bautista) really bash Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s acting skills?

From a recent apology made by the WWE superstar and Guardians of the Galaxy actor, he did — and isn’t backing up on those comments.

Batista bashes The Rock’s acting

The incident came when Batista was interviewed by the Tampa Bay Times and was asked to talk about his movie career.

After leaving WWE, Batista ended up as the second most successful professional wrestler turned actor — at least when it comes to the financial box office of his movies.

That comes down to two franchises, with Batista starring as Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Guardians of the Galaxy franchise as well as Avengers: Infinity War. He also played a heavy in the James Bond movie Spectre.

However, he hasn’t stopped there.

Batista was also in the critically acclaimed Blade Runner 2049 and some great genre movies like Riddick and Hotel Artemis. He just signed on to star in the remake of Dune.

When asked about his career, Batista said that he was not trying to be a big movie star like The Rock. And then he dropped the bomb.

“Rock was, in a way, a movie star before he was even a movie star,” Batista said. “There is something about him that’s really special. I’d never take that away from him. Would I consider him a great actor? F*** no.”

What Batista said he meant

That caused a huge social media explosion. Did Batista just say the Rock wasn’t a great actor?

Actually, he did say that — but he also said a whole lot more stuff that people glossed over. He also wasn’t just talking about The Rock, but also John Cena.

“I want good roles. I don’t care about Fast and Furious or Bumblebee. … That’s not the kind of stardom I want,” Batista said. “I want to be in Dune. I want to work with Denis Villeneuve. I want to work with Sam Mendes and Jodie Foster. I want to work with Academy Award winners. I’m proud to be a character actor. I want that respect and credibility and education.”

Did Batista mean anything mean spirited by what he said about The Rock? He did not, but he did head to Twitter to reveal that he meant what he said — The Rock is a movie star but Batista wants to be an actor.

Retweeting this because although the headline is a bit misleading, I really appreciate them pointing out that I was not bashing anyone. I’m not a disrespectful person. I speak from the heart and sometimes it comes across harsh. I stand by the interview w/ @TB_Times #dreamchaser https://t.co/7yCtNasolh

— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) February 27, 2019

Batista just returned to the WWE and is looking to wrestle Triple H at WrestleMania 35.