Untold Stories and Meanings Behind Dave Bautista’s Tattoos

David Michael Bautista Jr. is an American actor, retired professional wrestler, former MMA fighter, and bodybuilder.

Bautista began his wrestling career in 1999 with the WWF. His ring name was Batista. Batista won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship four times and the WWE Championship twice.

Bautista started his acting career in 2006 and has starred in super hit movies like The Man with the Iron Fists (2012), Riddick (2013), the James Bond film Spectre (2015), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). He also played the role of Drax the Destroyer in the films Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).

Meanings Behind Dave Bautista’s Tattoos

Bautista has collected many tattoos over the years. His has a big mashup of different styles of tattoos with a few tribal tattoos here and there, and some Japanese and heritage tattoos.

Let’s talk about Dave Bautista’s tattoos and meanings behind some of those tattoos.

‘I Can’t Breathe’ Tattoo

Tattoo: Bautista has ‘I Can’t Breathe’ Tattoo on the side of his right hand.

Meanings: In recent weeks, Bautista has been wrestling against racial inequality and police brutality. In July 2020, he revealed his newest tattoo, a tribute to police brutality victim George Floyd. Those were George Floyd’s last words before he died.

On his Instagram post, Bautista called on everyone to be relentless in the pursuit of justice and unintimidated in the fight against oppression.

He also said, “We’re here together to remind each other what we’re fighting for. I want to forget, but I won’t let myself. There’s too much at stake. Peace to everyone fighting for a dream.”

That is why he got this tattoo to show is support against injustice.

‘We the people’ Tattoo

Tattoo: On the side of his left hand, he has this tattoo.

Meanings: Bautista got this tattoo with his “I can’t breathe” tattoo to show his support for ongoing civil rights protests across the U.S.

The Preamble to the United States Constitution begins with the words We the People. It is a brief introductory statement of the Constitution’s fundamental purposes and guiding principles.

‘Imagine’ Tattoo

• 

• 

Tattoo: Bautista has the word ‘Imagine’ tattooed on the right side of his torso.

Meanings: Bautista is a social activist and fights for human rights. He got this tattoo inspired by the song ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon. The lyrics of this song encourage everyone to imagine a peaceful world without the barriers of borders or the divisions of religion and nationality.

‘Love is Louder’ Tattoo

Tattoo: Bautista has this tattoo on the right side of his chest behind the shoulder and collarbone.

Meanings: Bautista got this tattoo to show his support for the movie star and activist Brittany snow’s social movement called love is louder. It is a growing community of people working together to create a world where everyone feels connected and supported.

After getting the tattoo, Bautista posted on his Instagram, “I wear it on my chest like a badge of honor. A commitment to something I believe very deeply. I’ll never be afraid to love. I’ll never be ashamed to show kindness. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I will never apologize for that. So be proud, love loud!!!!”

Tribal Sun Tattoo

Tattoo: Bautista had a Tribal sun tattoo around his belly button.

Meanings: Initially, Bautista only had one tribal tattoo on his right arm. He continued to get more tribal tattoos and got this one around his belly button. Later he got it covered up with other tattoos.

Stomach Tattoo – Crows, Skull, 202

Tattoo: Bautista has a tattoo of two crows, a skull and ‘202’ on his stomach

Meanings: On a thanksgiving day, Bautista got this stomach tattoo. Bautista’s mom is of Greek descent. In Greek mythology, crows are considered as a symbol of prophecy and good luck. Many of his fans believe that he got 202 because he is from Washington, and the area code for Washington D.C. is 202.

Dog Tattoo

• 

• 

Tattoo: Bautista has the portrait of his dogs on his right thigh.

Meanings: Bautista got this tattoo in New York by celebrity tattoo artist Trudy Lines. Bautista loves his dogs. After getting the tattoo, Bautista got very emotional and posted on Instagram that now he can bring his babies with him where ever he goes.

‘Spectre’ Tattoo

Tattoo: Bautista has the ‘Spectre’ logo tattoo on the middle finger of his right hand.

Meanings: Bautista played Mr. Hinx, a huge muscle-bound assassin in the James Bond film, Spectre (2015). He got the official logo of Spectre (Octopus) tattooed on his finger in the memory of that movie.

Tribal Art

• 

Tattoos: Bautista is a huge fan of tribal arts. He has tribal tattoos all over his body. During the early days of his wrestling career he only had tribal tattoos but later he added other tattoos around them. Both his arms are heavily tattooed with tribal arts.

Kanji Tattoo

Tattoo: Bautista has Red Kanji letters tattoo on his left arm.

Meanings: The Kanji letters on his right arm reads ‘Angel.’ He got this tattoo for his ex-wife Angie. They were married for eight years.

American Flag Tattoo

Tattoo: Bautista has tattoos of American flags on both his shoulders.

Meanings: Bautista was born in Washington D.C. So, he got the American flag tattoos to show his love and respect for his country.

Filipino and Greek Flags

Tattoo: Bautista has tattoos of Greek and Filipino flags on his left shoulder.

Meanings: Bautista carries both Greek and Filipino heritage. His mom is of Greek descent, and his dad is the son of Filipino immigrants. To show his respect for his parents’ culture, he got both these flags on his shoulder.

All Seeing Eye Tattoo

Tattoo: Bautista has this Illuminati tattoo in the middle of his chest.

Meanings: The Illuminati all-seeing eye represents the ‘Eye’ of God watching over humanity. He got the eye inside a Filipino sun surrounded by the stars.

Marilyn Monroe Tattoo

Tattoo: Bautista has a Marilyn Monroe portrait on his left forearm.

Meanings: Bautista is a big Marilyn Monroe fan. He tweeted several Marilyn Monroe quotes on tweeter. When his fans retweeted those quotes, he uploaded a picture of his Marilyn Monroe tattoo.

‘Passive By Nature Violent By Choice’ Tattoo

Tattoo: Bautista has this tattoo spread across his hands

Meanings: This quote ‘Passive By Nature Violent By Choice’ truly defines Bautista’s nature.

Dragon Tattoo

Tattoo: Bautista has this massive dragon tattoo on his back.

Meanings: Dragon represents strength and wisdom. Bautista covered his entire back the Japanese cherry blossom, fillers, and the flaming dragon.

‘D.C. Soldier’ Tattoo

Tattoo: ‘D.C. Soldier’ Tattoo on the right inner biceps.

Meanings: Bautista was born in in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Arlington, Virginia. It is his Washington D.C. pride tattoo.

‘Dream Chaser’ Tattoo

Tattoo: ‘Dream Chaser’ Tattoo on his left inner biceps.

Meanings: Bautista got this tattoo to keep him motivated to chase his dreams.

Star Tattoos

Tattoo: On the left side of his body, Bautista has star tattoos. It is probably a continuity of the American flag tattoo he has on the left shoulder.

Filipino Sun Tattoo

Tattoo: Filipino sun tattoo on his left elbow.

Meanings: Bautista is obsessed with Filipino sun. The sun is also in the Filipino flag. As mentioned earlier, Bautista shares Filipino heritage from his father’s side. He has the tattoo of the Filipino sun on his chest as well.

Triangle Tattoos

• 

• 

Tattoo: Triangle tattoos on left wrist and right elbow

Meanings: Bautista has several triangle tattoos on his body. They look very similar to The Avenger’s logo. But triangle tattoos can hold a lot of meanings.

Sugar Skull Tattoo

Tattoo: Sugar skull tattoo on left forearm

Meanings: Bautista got this tattoo for his wife, Sarah Jade. It is a portrait of his wife wearing a sugar skull mask or makeup.

‘Washington D.C. is not a state, it’s a state of mind’ Tattoo

Tattoo: ‘Washington D.C. is not a state, it’s a state of mind’ Tattoo on right forearm

Meanings: Another Washington D.C. state pride tattoo Bautista got on his body.

Butterfly Tattoo

Tattoo: Butterfly tattoo on the right wrist.

Meanings: Butterfly represents transformation. Bautista got this tiny butterfly tattoo on his right wrist.

Superhero Tattoos

Tattoo: Tattoos of Superhero logos on the knuckles

Meanings: Bautista loves his superheroes. He got the logos of all his favorite superheroes, including superman, batman, the avengers, and also a spider tattooed on his knuckles.

‘Imperial Los Angeles’ Tattoo

Tattoo: ‘Imperial Los Angeles’ Tattoo on his left forearm.

Japanese Art

Tattoo: Bautista’s entire left leg is dedicated to Japanese art. He got this beautiful Japanese pagoda, with colorful cherry blossoms and waves tattooed on his left leg.

Dave Bautista’s Hand Tattoos

Tattoo: On the right hand, Bautista has a lion head, and on the left hand, he has a phoenix head tattoo.

Angel and an Owl Tattoo

Tattoo: On his right forearm, Bautista has a tattoo of an angel and an owl.

2130 Tattoo

Tattoo: On his left forearm Bautista has the ‘2130’ tattoo. Does anyone knows what this tattoo represents? Please let us know in the comments below.