Dave Bautista Recalls Failed WCW Tryout

At the peak of his WWE career, Dave Bautista was one of the biggest names in the promotion, serving as one of John Cena's most memorable rivals. However, Bautista's journey into pro wrestling wasn't clear-cut, especially after years of struggling to find his way early in life. During an interview with "W.O.L.F. Gyms," the former WWE Champion opened about his failed WCW tryout and its aftermath. 

"I went for a tryout in Atlanta, it was for the WCW at the time. I didn't make it. I didn't make it past the first stage. They told me to get the f**k out and I'd never be a pro wrestler [and that] I didn't have what it took," he recalled. "So I was pretty crushed because I didn't know what I was going to do with my life."

Bautista then claimed he waited about a week before finding someone else to train him to become a pro wrestler, winding up at a training camp in Pennsylvania. "Wild Small Wrestling Camp. And they were directly affiliated with the WWE," he said, adding that he borrowed money from his friends, moved to Pennsylvania, and began his training. "I was there for about a year before I got a tryout with the WWE. And so I made it with them. I got a contract and it was for 650 bucks a week, but it was – they sent me to Louisville, Kentucky, to start training, and I trained there for a few years before I finally made it onto TV."

Years later, in 2002 at 33-years-old, Bautista would make his television debut in WWE as "Deacon Batista" before eventually becoming one of the biggest stars of the Ruthless Aggression Era.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "W.O.L.F. Gyms" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.