John Cena’s Former Top Rival, Now Worth $16Million Is “Definitely Transitioning” Towards the “Old” Side

The hard truth about nature is deeply ingrained in its impermanence. Nothing stays forever. Positions change, people come and go, and the cycle continues. Someone who was in their prime 20 years ago, might be knocking at the door of retirement today. This is also true for all our beloved WWE superstars. While they were physical specimens once, most of them don’t possess those physiques anymore.

Realizing and accepting it can be hard for some, but not for a WWE legend, who once was involved in a  storyline feud with wrestler-turned-actor John Cena.

John Cena’s OVW batchmate embraces his age

Before setting the pro-wrestling world alight with his moves and mic skills, Cena did the hard yards in Ohio Valley Wrestling. WWE’s then developmental territory. However, he wasn’t the only one in his class to make the main roster. Three others- all of whom are possible WWE Hall of Fame inductees, graduated. One among them was Batista.

Yes, the beloved Drax the Destroyer had a legendary, albeit a shorter stint than Cena’s, in the WWE. The Animal locked horns with his OVW mate on more than one occasion, but their first singles encounter took place in 2008. Their rise in the company took place parallelly. When Cena won the WWE Championship by defeating JBL at WrestleMania 21, Batista went over Triple H to win the World Heavyweight Championship at the same event.

Interestingly, the two stars also made it big in Hollywood and have since then established themselves as bankable actors. Batista, 54, who now goes by the name Dave Bautista, is worth $16 million currently, by virtue of his Hollywood career. The Knock at the Cabin actor shared a story on Instagram recently, where he spoke about his growth. “I’m definitely transitioning into “old man Dave”,” he said in his Instagram story.

The former World Tag Team Champion sported a salt and pepper beard, clearly reflecting his age.

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Meanwhile, Cena also had the same realization as his former tag team partner, a few months ago.

The Cenation Leader addresses his bald patch

Age has finally caught up with John Cena too. Even though it’s hard for some of his fans to accept it, the man himself has no problems dealing with it. Earlier this year, he schooled an upcoming WWE superstar about it, after he taunted him about his looks.

Austin Theory, the current WWE United States Champion challenged Cena for a title match at WrestleMania 39. After he failed to convince the 46-year-old, Theory went deep and personal. In his heydays, Cena left the legendary Dwayne Johnson red in the face with his sharp wit. In comparison, Theory was a cakewalk for him. The 25-year-old asked for it and John Cena obliged him with a deep burn.

He said, “Proud of the senior circuit baby”, while attacking Theory’s lack of competence to pull crowds. Cena proved yet again, while he’s fine with his age, he certainly hasn’t lost his touch. The two later went on to have a match at the marquee event, where he put Theory over.

Meanwhile, tell us your reaction to Batista’s observation, in the comments.

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