American actor, and retired professional wrestler Dave Bautista has had a diverse time in the entertainment industry which lead him to amass an impressive net worth of $16 million. Dave Bautista is started his career as a professional fighter and later on moved into acting where he had a much more success in terms of financial status. His career has won the hearts of the public both in the movie industry and the world of professional fighting.
His path towards becoming a movie star is something that is unique as he takes on his journey to stardom. Unlike other stars who started acting as early as their teenage years, Bautista started off in a different path as professional wrestler before he eventually ventured into acting. Though it is not common, this is not the first time that it happened since Dwayne Johnson was also a professional wrestler before making it big in the movie industry.
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Gaining Massive Fame From The WWE
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Not a lot of people are aware that Dave Bautista is a huge star when he was still a WWE fighter during the heights of his career in that industry. He is milking from the pay per view commission as he was drawing massive viewers once he headlines a show. During the peak of his career as a WWE fighter, he is appearing on the biggest shows which the promotions are putting on annually. His salary and compensation can be considered massive and he can really live off of his salaries from WWE.
It was reported in 2004 that his salary as a pro wrestler is about $813,000 annually beginning 2004. It is said to be one of the highest amount to be paid to a pro wrestler during his time. It is also estimated that by the time he bid goodbye to the world of wrestling in 2013, he was already raking in millions per year in terms of his WWE salary. Although he already chose to dive into the world of movie industries, he was being called to return to the WWE to make an appearance from time to time which he would gladly accept if time permits. Since WWE is known to compensate their biggest stars with hefty checks, it is not surprising that he made a ton of money from his time in the WWE. However when the movie industry came knocking where he will have a chance to establish himself as an actor, he jumped into the opportunity to do it.
Banking On Different Movies
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Dave Bautista has had a successful transition from being a WWE fighter into becoming a renowned actor in the movie industry. Through the years he spent on building a name for himself in the film and TV industry, he was able to snag some massive projects that made him a established name in Hollywood. One of his biggest breakthrough as a movie star is signing with Marvel to play the character Drax on the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.
Upon entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe playing the role of Drax, he did not only star in two massively successful Guardians of the Galaxy films, he also wound up starring on both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame which were among the highest earning movies to date in the Marvel movies. It was reported that he took home about $8.5 million to $10 million for doing the four movies mentioned, which was probably the lowest salary among the main actors that starred in the Marvel movies. Other than his MCU movies, he also appeared in different movies like the James Bond’s Spectre and Blade Runner 2049.
Earning From Brand Endorsements
Dave Bautista sure raked in millions from his time both in WWE and in Hollywood but he also made solid money from different brand endorsements. Landing some endorsement deals with numerous huge brands has been one of his money makers. One of the most popular ad campaigns that he did for a brand is his commercial for the brand Smirnoff. The brand of vodka owned and produced by the British company Diageo has featured him in numerous ad campaigns for their brand. The contract between Baustista and Smirnoff has no definitive amount as how much Bautista has been paid for his service for the brand but given his popularity, it was assumed to be worth millions.
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Sources: Wealthy Gorilla, The Things, Celebrity Net Worth
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