Dave Bautista has little knowledge about Indian billboards. But Indians know how to change his designation from a WWE superstar to a quack.
Hollywood star and former wrestling champion Dave Bautista has become an accidental face of traditional Indian street medicine — or as locals call it, “quack” treatment.
On April 1, Bautista took to Instagram to share a series of rather unusual images: his heavily bandaged, muscle-bound likeness appearing on posters for local Indian clinics.
These billboards, often found plastered on walls in crowded lanes and bustling localities, promise miraculous cures for every imaginable ailment — from waist pain to “other inefficiencies” — all thanks to "desi" remedies.
And front and centre on many of them? A bruised, broken, but still imposing Dave Bautista.
He shared the images without much fanfare, captioning the post simply with, "December 2013."
Whether it was a reference to when the photo was taken or a cryptic nod to something else, no one knows — but it didn’t take long for Indian fans to respond.
“So sorry sir, but our way of showing love is unhealthy at times,” one user commented, perfectly summarizing the uniquely chaotic affection that Indian fans often express.
Another quipped, “India is the only country in the world where posters of Bautista can be found in every street, every crossroads, and every neighborhood. Actually, Bautista is very popular in India.”
Indeed, the wrestler-turned-actor’s popularity in India cannot be overstated.
Having made a name for himself inside the WWE ring, Bautista successfully transitioned to Hollywood, appearing in blockbuster hits such as Avengers: Endgame and Spectre. His fame is global — and clearly, so is the misuse of his image.
It appears that some enterprising local clinics have tapped into that fame to draw in customers, with billboards depicting the star covered in bandages, surrounded by a laundry list of ailments they claim to treat — muscle injuries, bone dislocations, and even more vaguely described problems — all presented as if endorsed by the man himself.
Bautista, for his part, has taken the situation in stride.
His understated post has sparked both laughter and light embarrassment among fans in India, who clearly adore him — even if they occasionally turn him into a walking advertisement for dubious bone-setting skills.
The timing of this revelation is also interesting, as WWE’s top brass have been openly eyeing India as a potential site for a major live event.
Triple H recently spoke to Daily Mail about bringing a Premium Live Event (PLE) to the United Kingdom — and India was also named as a key contender.
WWE President Nick Khan, too, hinted at the possibility of an event on the scale of WrestleMania taking place in India in the near future.
With such strong fan engagement — and posters of Bautista serving as unintentional endorsements for street-side medical “experts” — it’s safe to say the Indian WWE fanbase is alive and suplexing.
And as for Bautista?
He might not be healing bones in the gullies of Delhi, but he’s certainly left his mark — quite literally — on every corner of the country.