Dave Bautista returned to WWE in 2019 for his final match at WrestleMania against Triple H. Later that same year, it was announced that he would be inducted into the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame, though the event was ultimately cancelled thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
WWE plans to hold an even bigger Hall of Fame ceremony next month with inductees from both 2020 and 2021. However, Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista won't be among them.
"Dave Bautista is not going in after all and I don’t know the exact reason," Dave Meltzer recently revealed on Wrestling Observer Live. "The reason that has been floating around is that there was a date conflict with him. I don’t know that to be the case." It's possible the pro wrestler turned Hollywood star doesn't wish to travel in the current circumstances or that he's busy with a movie.
Of course, he's also been very outspoken on social media about his, well, hatred for former President Donald Trump (a close friend and ally of the McMahon family). We doubt that's a contributing factor, but you never know with WWE, so here's hoping Bautista weighs in soon.
The 2020 inductees include John "Bradshaw" Layfield, "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith, Jushin "Thunder" Liger, the NWO (Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman), and The Bella Twins. So far, only Molly Holly and Eric Bischoff have been announced for the 2021 class.