Dave Bautista returned to a WWE ring Tuesday night in celebration of Smackdown's 1,000th episode. The Guardians of the Galaxy star took part in a segment that saw the reunion of the wrestling stable Evolution, consisting of Bautista, Triple H, Ric Flair and Randy Orton.

While Bautista didn't take part in any physical activities, there were a few tense moments as he teased a confrontation with the former Evolution leader, Triple H.

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When Orton grabbed the microphone, he started to run down each Evolution member, specifically calling Bautista out for going Hollywood and leaving the wrestling business behind him. However, Bautista was quick to point out that the reason he returned to "SmackDown 1000" was for the WWE Universe and his Evolution brothers.

After Bautista was done handing out compliments, he reminded Triple H that while he's won a lot of matches and defeated many opponents in the WWE, he's never beaten him. Of course, Triple H didn't take too kindly to being called out, but the two ended the face-off with a hug -- though they continued to give each other a side-eye as the group's music played and the foursome got ready to exit the ring.

In September, Bautista revealed the reason he left the WWE was to prove to the company that he could become a better actor. Bautista left the WWE in 2010 to pursue his acting career, which saw him in minor roles in Scorpion King 3, The Man with the Iron Fists and Riddick, before making the move to Marvel Studios as Drax the Destroyer in 2014.

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On the heels of Avengers: Infinity War, Bautista’s slated to appear in Avengers 4, although director James Gunn’s firing has left him in an uncertain position with Disney and Marvel, as he has spoken out in defense of the director. His role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is also up in the air, with the actor going so far as to say he's not sure if he will return as Drax the Destroyer for the third installment in the Marvel Studios film.

(via WWE.com)