Dave Bautista has confirmed he is delaying his WWE Hall of Fame induction.
The retired wrestler turned Hollywood star – who is known to WWE fans as Batista – was set to be honoured last year alongside the likes of John ‘Bradshaw’ Layfield and twins Nikki and Brie Bella before the event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This year’s ceremony will take place on April 6 with both the 2020 and a new 2021 class being inducted, but Dave has revealed he won’t be joining them.
He wrote on Twitter: “To the @WWEUniverse Unfortunately due to previous obligations I am unable to be a part of the @WWE #HOF this year.
“By my request they have agreed to induct me at a future ceremony where I’ll be able to properly thank the fans and people who made my career possible #DreamChaser”.
There had already been speculation the 52-year-old star – who retired from wrestling in 2019 after a match with longtime friend Triple H – wouldn’t be taking part after the company had removed him from the online preview, which featured the rest of last year’s class as well as 2021 inductees Eric Bischoff and Molly Holly.
And while the other prospective Hall of Famers also had the event’s logo on their WWE.com profiles, the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ actor didn’t have the same.
Meanwhile, Fightful Select had reported he wasn’t planned for the event, claiming the goal is to give Dave his moment in front of a full crowd.
Earlier this month, Bischoff revealed he was “overwhelmed” to be named for the ceremony in April.
