Former WWE wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista, 55, has experienced significant weight loss, leaving fans stunned by his noticeably slimmer appearance at the premiere of his movie The Last Showgirl during the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival.
An X user posted two photos of Dave—one from 2022, where he appears quite muscular, and the other from his 2024 TIFF appearance, looking much slimmer in a black suit with pearl necklaces and dark sunglasses on the red carpet. The caption read, “What happened to Dave Bautista?”
Watch Dave Bautista’s transformation:
Some fans attributed Dave Bautista's transformation not only to ageing but also to his career shift. As one user on X remarked, “What happened? He was a Wrestler and now he is an Actor. Two different stages of his life and he is smashing it like a boss." Another user added, “Batista is 55 years old. He is supposed to get smaller, everyone. He has gradually and naturally gotten smaller over the years, muscle-wise.”
“He's transforming into one of the greater actors that'll let his work speak for him. He doesn't want to just wait for Action or Shooting movies, he wants to act. That's his passion. He was a wrestler, he built his body for that sole purpose and now, he lost the weight and build,” stated a third comment, while another read.
In a recent conversation with Chris Van Vliet, Dave Bautista discussed his weight loss journey. "I'm getting super trimmed; this is probably the lightest I've been since I was 19 years old," Bautista shared. "At my heaviest, I weighed 370 lbs. When I started as Deacon, I was around 325 lbs, and during most of my wrestling career, I stayed at about 290 lbs. Now, I'm down to 240 lbs. About a year and a half ago, for Knock at the Cabin, I was 315 lbs, and that's when the struggle began. Losing that weight has been a tough challenge, but now I'm really careful with my diet."
Dave Bautista's next appearance will be in The Killer's Game, alongside Sofia Boutella, with the film set to hit theatres on September 13.
