AEW’s Wardlow is ready to make the leap to Hollywood—and he’s got his eyes set on taking over Gotham City. On X, Wardlow shared that he’s open to playing Bane in a future DC Comics project from James Gunn, but acknowledged that he’s not the only name interested in the role.
Dave Bautista has expressed interest in playing Bane, and has experience working with Gunn, the head of DC’s movie endeavors. Bautista portrayed Drax the Destroyer in Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy films, and the two remain close friends to this day.
Neither Wardlow or Bautista would be the first wrestler to take on the role. The late Jeep Swenson—known to wrestling fans as The Ultimate Solution in WCW—portrayed Bane in 1997’s Batman & Robin. However, that version of the character was widely criticized by fans and critics alike.
Bane is one of Batman’s most iconic villains and was introduced in 1993 in shocking fashion. A master manipulator who boasts brains and braun, Bane was able to push Batman to his limit before breaking the back of the bat over his knee.
Whether Gunn plans to bring Bane into his reimagined DC universe remains to be seen. But with his in-ring presence and growing charisma, Wardlow seems eager to follow in the footsteps of Cena and Bautista as wrestling’s next big crossover star.