‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Star Dave Bautista Named Honorary Deputy Sheriff in Tampa, Florida

Dave Bautista, an actor and longtime resident of Tampa, Florida, has added a new title to his belt after being named an honorary deputy sheriff in the Sunshine State over the past weekend.

Bautista, 56, took to Instagram on April 19 to share a photo of his new badge, which was accompanied by an identification card featuring his picture.

“Honorary Deputy Sheriff of Hillsborough County, Florida… I didn’t see that one coming either,” the former professional wrestler captioned the post. “Tampa’s held a special place in my heart ever since I moved here 20 years ago. Always has. Always will.”

The wrestler-turned-actor served multiple stints with the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), which has a training center in Orlando, from 2002 to 2019.

Bautista is also best known for his action roles outside of the ring.

In addition to playing Drax in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise, he has appeared in “Riddick” (2013), “Final Score” (2018), “Escape Plan: The Extractors” (2019), “Glass Onion” (2022), and “Knock at the Cabin” (2023), among other films.

More recently, he starred opposite actress Milla Jovovich in the new action-fantasy film “In the Lost Lands,” which hit theaters on March 7.

In his recent Instagram post, Bautista expressed gratitude to WWE’s Global Ambassador Titus O’Neil and Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister for his honorary title.

“Big love and thanks,” the actor wrote in part. “Appreciate you both.”

O’Neil was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021 as the organization’s Warrior Award recipient for his philanthropic efforts throughout the Tampa Bay area, where he resides.

O’Neil, a former WWE Tag Team Champion, is good friends with Chronister and has been heavily involved with the Tampa Police and Sheriff’s Departments.

“AWESOME surprise having Titus O’Neil stop by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in #YborCity!” the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a 2018 Facebook post.

“He wanted to make sure his friend, Sheriff Chad Chronister, was included in his WWE special! He credits law enforcement and the Sheriff’s Youth Ranch for keeping him on the right track growing up.”

The Epoch Times reached out to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office for additional comment, but a response was not received by publication time.