Dave Bautista Throws Major Shade at Dwayne Johnson's Fast & Furious Franchise

They've all faced each other many times in the wrestling ring.

But on Saturday Dave Bautista took the trash talk to the big screen as he slammed Dwayne Johnson and John Cena's Fast & Furious films.

When a fan suggested "The Animal" join his fellow wrestlers in the action franchise, he responded with a vomiting emoji, a sarcastic "thank you for your consideration", and the hashtag #idratherdogoodfilms.

The 50-year-old's film career was boosted when he landed the fan-favorite role of Drax The Destroyer in "Guardians of the Galaxy"; this month he will further flex his comedy acting shops with a lead role opposite Kumail Nanjiani in "Stuber".

But one fan pointed to a less illustrious entry on his resume: last year's the straight-to-DVD sequel to Sylvester Stallone's "Escape Room", which made just $16million off a $20million budget, and currently enjoys a Rotten Tomatoes score of 9 per cent.

"Presumably Big Dave has already forgotten Escape Plan 2...." the fan jibed.

But Bautista shot back: "Genius! Big Dave didnt state that he's never done a bad film. But I did them for particular reasons that helped build an 'acting' career. And I got to work with Sly so in your face with that! You're dismissed!"

A third fan professed his love for the star, but insisted the "Fast franchise has some of the best and most creative action pieces in recent memory, easily among the most enjoyable movies of the past decade."

But again Bautista wouldn't let it go: "I normally wouldn't even engage but I think the fact that “I Barf On Babies”is your twitter handle really says it all...." However he did add: "but thanks for the love dude. I really appreciate you keeping it positive and I totally respect your opinion."

Earlier this year, Bautista admitted he hates being compared to Johnson and Cena, because they are "wrestlers who became movie stars."

"I'm … something else. I was a wrestler. Now, I'm an actor," he told the Tampa Bay Times in an interview.

"Rock was, in a way, a movie star before he was even a movie star. There is something about him that's really special. I'd never take that away from him. Would I consider him a great actor? F--k no."

Bautista said he only wanted "good roles" and didn't care about the likes of 'Fast and Furious' or 'Bumblebee'.

"That's not the kind of stardom I want," he said. "I want to be in Dune. I want to work with Denis Villeneuve. I want to work with Sam Mendes and Jodie Foster. I want to work with Academy Award winners. I'm proud to be a character actor. I want that respect and credibility and education."

He later tried to point out he was not "bashing anyone" or being disrespectful, admitting he comes across harsh sometimes.

Whether Dave likes them or not, the Fast & Furious franchise is one of cinema's most successful ever; the eight films released so far have collectively reigned in more than $5billion at the box office worldwide, while "Furious 7" is among the top-ten grossing films of all time.

The Rock joined the franchise in "Fast Five", and in August will appear in a spin-off — "Hobbs & Shaw" — alongside Jason Statham. Cena meanwhile is signed on to join the upcoming ninth installment, set for release in May 2020.

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