When Will Dave Bautista (Batista) Get Inducted Into the WWE Hall of Fame?

Dave Bautista (Batista) was originally announced to be a member of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2020 way back before the pandemic started in December 2019. The 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony was canceled due to the pandemic and that class eventually wound up getting inducted with the 2021 class last April in front of virtual fans as part of the WWE ThunderDome. “The Animal” opted instead to have his induction pushed to when fans would be able to attend. He wrote in March of last year, “To the @WWEUniverse Unfortunately due to previous obligations I am unable to be a part of the @WWE #HOF this year. By my request they have agreed to induct me at a future ceremony where I’ll be able to properly thank the fans and people who made my career possible.”

WWE will have a live Hall of Fame ceremony for the Class of 2022 on April 1 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, but don’t expect Batista’s induction to be there. According to PWInsider, the Dune star will likely have his induction at the 2023 ceremony when WrestleMania 39 week is in Los Angeles. 

Bautista’s acting career took off in the mid-2010s thanks to his role as Drax the Destroyer in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. He came back to the wrestling industry for a retirement match against Triple H at WrestleMania 35, then promptly announced his retirement. He explained in an interview with Men’s Health last October that he’s separating himself from the business in order to be recognized as a serious actor. 

“I’m not trying to separate myself from professional wrestling because I’m embarrassed or anything like that,” he said at the time. “It’s just, I needed to make a name for myself and start all over and kind of just get people to see me in a different light. Because if people always see me as a pro wrestler turned actor, then they’re going to put me in a box for roles.”

This year’s WWE Hall of Fame class is headlined by The Undertaker, while Vader and Queen Sharmell have also been announced. The following two days after the ceremony will feature both nights of WrestleMania 38 with the two main events being Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the unified WWE and Universal Championships and SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey.