WWE Actors
In honor of WrestleMania XL tonight, I wanted to put out a list featuring some of WWE Superstars who transitioned (some more successfully than others) to an acting career. This has become a little more prevalent recently, mainly due to the success of three men. I was a big WWE fan a few years back, and even though I’m not able to watch on a weekly basis anymore, I definitely do enjoy trying to keeping up with it still and do plan on watching both nights of WrestleMania this weekend. Some of these WWE Actors are known for one role, while others have quite the filmography they’ve appeared in.
André the Giant- While André appeared in a handful of minor roles, the Eighth Wonder of the World is best known as Fezzik in ‘The Princess Bride.’ Appearing alongside Mandy Patinkin, Cary Elwes, & Wallace Shawn, Fezzik is a lovable giant with freak strength, just like the actor himself.
Batista- One of the aforementioned three who have made this jump extremely successfully, Batista has appeared in well-known films like ‘Knock at the Cabin,’ ‘The Boy and the Heron,’ ‘Army of the Dead,’ & ‘Hotel Artemis.’ However, he is even more known for this roles in popular franchises such as the assassin Mr. Hinx in ‘Spectre,’ the old replicant Sapper Morton in ‘Blade Runner 2049,’ men’s right activist Duke Cody in ‘Glass Onion,’ Glossu Rabban in ‘Dune,’ and of course as Drax the Destroyer in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and various other MCU films. Batista had solidified himself as a viable threat of a villian (‘Dune,’ ‘Spectre), but has also shown his extreme comedic chops in ‘Glass Onion’ and as Drax, who is considered one of Marvel’s funniest characters.
Edge- The Rated-R Superstar has appeared in two R-rated films, but is really more known for his TV roles. He had a guest role as Atom Smasher on ‘The Flash,’ and has had recurring roles in ‘Have,’ ‘Vikings,’ and my personal favorite,his role as Ares in ‘Percy Jackson & the Olympians.’
Hulk Hogan- The first major star of the WWE, Hogan appeared in such films as ‘No Holds Barred,’ ‘Gremlins 2,’ and, most famously, ‘Rocky III.’ In all of these appearances, Hogan does what he does best, he plays a professional wrestler.
Jesse Ventura- WWE Hall of Famer, Governor of Minnesota, and actor. Quite the list of accomplishments. The Body had some minor roles, but starred in the film ‘Predator’ with fellow WWE Hall of Famer and Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger.
John Cena- The GOAT of the WWE has taken his talents to Hollywood and has been pretty successful in that endeavor. After starring in some B-tier action films, Cena started starring in comedies like ‘Trainwreck,’ ‘Vacation Friends,’ ‘Daddy’s Home 2,’ ‘Ricky Stanicky,’ and ‘Blockers.’ He has also starred in blockbusters like ‘Bumblebee,’ ‘F9’ & ‘Fast X,’ ‘The Suicide Squad,’ ‘Barbie,’ ‘Argylle,’ and had a voice role in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.’ He also took his character from ‘The Suicide Squad’ and starred as the titular character in ‘Peacemaker.’
Kevin Nash- Big Daddy Cool has starred in a good amount of movies in various types of roles. He played Super Shredder in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2,’ The Russian in ‘The Punisher,’ and also played roles in other big franchises like ‘Magic Mike’ and ‘John Wick.’
Roddy Piper- Rowdy Roddy starred in a whole host of B-movies, but makes this list solely for his iconic lead role in ‘They Live’ and especially for letting everyone know that he’s here to chew bubble gum and kick butt…
Ronda Rousey- The UFC great also took her talents and domination to WWE before jumping to the big screen and starring in big budget films like ‘The Expendables 3’ and ‘Furious 7.’
Steve Austin- Stone Cold himself. He starred in the original entry of ‘The Expendables’ franchise and also appeared in two Adam Sandler films ‘The Longest Yard’ and ‘Grown Ups 2.’ And Austin 3:16 said he was great in all of them.
The Rock- The reason this list exists. No, he wasn’t the first to do it, but so far, no one has him beat. One of the highest-grossing and highest-paid actors, Dwayne Johnson has done it all. He’s a successful businessman, NCAA football champion, one of the greatest to ever step in the squared circle, and perhaps the biggest blockbuster actor of the 21st century. It feels silly to even list the films he’s been in because I’m sure you know them, I mean come on they’ve grossed over $10 billion worldwide.
