Dave Bautista has announced his retirement from the WWE.
In an Instagram post, Bautista revealed his WrestleMania 35 performance was the end of his career in Sports Entertainment. "To all the WWE fans across the world that gave me the opportunity to suspend your disbelief, thank you. From the biggest part of my heart thank you for letting me entertain you," he wrote. "Tonight was my story book ending and I wanted to leave you with all I had to give."
"I’ll miss this theater of violence more than I can express in words but I am officially retiring from Sports Entertainment," he continued. "I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, I leave in great health, and without a doubt the show will go on. I had a hell of a run. Thank you for the journey."
In recent years, Bautista has focused more on his acting career, between his roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Drax the Destroyer and films like Blade Runner 2049, Dune and Spectre.
Bautista's final performance in WrestleMania 35 came after a five-year hiatus from the WWE for one last fight against Triple-H.
Bautista will return to the big screen in Avengers: Endgame, which arrives April 26. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the film also stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau and Bradley Cooper, with Gwyneth Paltrow and Josh Brolin.