There are many parallels to be drawn between the careers of John Cena and Dave Bautista, who both rose through the professional wrestling ranks at roughly the same time, and by the mid-2000s they’d firmly established themselves as two of the biggest stars in WWE, and wound up facing each other inside the squared circle on numerous occasions.
Having made the jump to Hollywood, they’ve now become recognizable names in the industry, and the comparisons continue given that each man has also starred in an ensemble-based comic book movie written and directed by James Gunn. Not only that, but thanks to Disney Plus’ The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and HBO Max’s Peacemaker, Cena and Bautista will each reunite with Gunn for a streaming spinoff based on their respective superhero franchise.
However, Bautista appears keen to draw the line there. While Cena has followed the Dwayne Johnson route of balancing family films with action blockbusters, and even joined a Fast & Furious sequel for good measure, his old rival is looking to take a different path. Having blasted The Rock’s career choices in the past, the 52 year-old recently laughed off the idea of starring opposite Cena in a buddy movie, as you can see below.
You and you both! 😂 https://t.co/Sz0YDbrNPi
— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) February 8, 2021
Given that he’s worked with both former grapplers, it must have been a kick in the teeth for Cena when Gunn explained why Dave Bautista had made the best transition from the wrestling ring to the silver screen, especially when The Suicide Squad is set for release in August and production on Peacemaker is well underway, but you can’t deny the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Drax the Destroyer has delivered a string of interesting performances to show range that belies his hulking frame.