240-pound former WWE star looks almost unrecognizable in throwback photo

A former WWE World Heavyweight Champion recently shared a throwback photo of himself on social media. The star looks nearly unrecognizable in an older image from 38 years ago.

Batista started his professional wrestling career in the early 2000s. Upon signing with the Stamford-based promotion, The Animal won several titles, including six World Championships, before hanging up his boots after WrestleMania 35 in 2019.

That being said, the 240-pound star recently shared a picture on Instagram when he was 18. Batista looks almost recognizable in an image from 1987, likely taken during his lifeguard or bodybuilding days.

“January 1987,” he wrote.

Check out the throwback photograph in his Instagram post below:

Rising WWE star wants to be a World Champion like Batista and Goldberg

The Stamford-based company and A&E have launched a new show, Legends and Future Greats, designed to showcase up-and-coming talents. The series features Mickie James, Booker T, Bubba Ray Dudley, and The Undertaker as coaches, mentoring and training aspiring wrestlers in pursuit of a future WWE contract.

In a preview video on the company’s YouTube channel, the legendary Evander Holyfield’s son, Elijah Holyfield gave his introduction before stating his ultimate goal. The former football player mentioned drawing inspiration from wrestlers like Batista and Goldberg. Elijah aims to become a World Champion, particularly envisioning a title victory in his hometown of Atlanta.

“All the advice I’ve got is take a little bit from everybody that you do like. My favorite of all time is probably Batista, so something of that nature. I’ve got a chance to talk to Goldberg a couple of times. He kinda told me a little bit about his experience and how he won his [WCW] Championship in Atlanta. Thinking of that in Atlanta, oh my God, Atlanta’s my hometown, and that would be an experience that I would literally cry. I get goosebumps thinking about it. My goal is to be the champion of the world. In my mind, [that is] what I came here to do, and that’s what I’ll try to do every single day,” he said.

The Animal has yet to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Fans will have to wait and see if Dave Batista will take place among the immortals this year ahead of WrestleMania 41.