Dave Bautista is to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

The 50-year-old professional wrestler turned actor has been handed the honour and will be part of the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020 alongside nWo members – Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman.

Of his honour, Dave said: “Vince [McMahon] called me personally to ask me, I was just … I wasn’t surprised, but I was pretty happy. It’s a good feeling, it’s a really great feeling. As soon as I hung up the phone, I was, and excuse my language, I was like, ‘S**t, I gotta give a speech.’ And that is what I’ve been stressing about since.”

And while Dave – who is a six-time World Champion – has long retired from the sport, he still sees himself as having a “journey” to continue with WWE.

Dave added to People magazine: “I don’t think it’s sunk in. And I was thinking about it because I mean, it seems like a long journey, but it also feels like yesterday when I started my career. And it also feels … because I’m still working so much, it doesn’t feel like an end of a journey.”

Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative, shared of the appointment: “Batista was one of the fastest rising stars ever in WWE with an incredible list of accolades, and the success of the nWo changed the course of sports-entertainment history. It is only fitting that they all take their rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame.”

The WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will take place on April 2, 2020.b