WWE To Hollywood
From the squared circle, all the way to Hollywood, professional wrestling has slowly but surely integrated itself to become a staple in the entertainment industry!
From Hulk Hogan and Jesse “The Body” Ventura in the 80’s, to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the early 00’s, all the way to the stars of today like John Cena, Dave Bautista, and Adam “Edge” Copeland, professional wrestling has consistently created stars not only in the ring, but outside of it.
Here’s a look at some of the most notable stars to make the jump from slamming people through the sliver screen, to appearing on it!
10. Jesse “The Body” Ventura
Would it be a professional wrestler’s gone Hollywood list if we didn’t mention Jesse “The Body” Ventura? NO CHANCE CHUM!
Though you might know him these day’s more for being the former governor of Minnesota, or the conspiracy theory guy that was on Joe Rogan that one time, Jesse Ventura is one of the first professional wrestler’s to make the massive crossover from the world of wrestling to Hollywood.
Starring a long side Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura played the role of “Blain” in the first Predator movie and didn’t stop there, as he would also land roles in The Running Man, Demolition Man and eventually Batman and Robin giving him a resume alongside some of the biggest action stars to ever do it!
9. Adam “Edge” Copeland
Being forced to retire in 2011 due to multiple neck injuries, Adam “Edge” Copeland made the jump to acting when he was offered a guest role on the TV show, Haven. What was expected to be a one-episode appearance turned into a 40+ episode role for the former world heavyweight champion and helped open his eyes to a world outside of the ring. Describing acting as a “close second” passion to professional wrestling, Edge has starred in the action-thrillers Money Plane & Interrogation, while also appearing in the history epic Vikings, and CW’s The Flash. He is also slated to appear as Aeries in the upcoming Disney+ show Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
From being forced to retire at age 38, to making an incredible comeback after double fusion neck surgery, Adam “Edge” Copeland has one of the more inspiring stories you’ll hear from a professional wrestler and we cannot wait to see what the future has in store for him when he finally hangs up the boots on his own terms!
8. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
Stone Cold breaking into Hollywood as an action star should’ve been as expected as him kicking ass and drinking beer every Monday night during 1997 but for some reason, I didn’t see this one coming!
Making his Hollywood debut in The Longest Yard, Stone Cold has since gone on to make appearances and star in action-adventure’s The Condemned, The Package, and Maximum Conviction. Oh, and how could we forget him being apart of the EPIC action adventure super team The Expendables!? Whether he’s showing up and raising hell, or down in El Segundo working on the next batch of Steveweiser’s, we are here for whatever the Texas Rattlesnake has up his sleeve next!
7. Sasha Banks/Mercedes Mone
Five-time women’s champion, leader of the women’s revolution, and cousin of Snoop Dogg, Sasha Banks is one of the newest professional wrestlers to make the jump into Hollywood with her debut role as Koska Reeves in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian. Slated to star alongside Ruby Rose and Lucas Til, the next time we see Banks on the silver screen will be in the upcoming Action-Thriller The Collective.
Recently released from WWE and taking on the moniker Mercedes Mone we’re excited to see what future project’s she’s able to work on and where she’s going to take her career, because if previous accolades have anything to say about it, it’s to the stars!
6. Hulk Hogan
If you were a kid in the 80’s or 90’s, I don’t know if there’s a way you wouldn’t know this next person on the list. The brother of all brothers, Hulk Hogan was the guy who took professional wrestling from being a taboo niche form of entertainment, to being the global phenomenon that we know today. Alongside Jesse “The Body” Ventura, Hogan was one of the first wrestler’s to appear in Hollywood and made his acting debut with a cameo in Rocky III as Thunderlips which feels like a prelude for when the Hulkster teamed up with Mr. T at WrestleMania: 1.
Though Taboo at the time, Hogan’s decision to cameo in Rocky III may have been a catalyst in bridging the gap between professional wrestling and Hollywood as he would go on to star in WWF Produced film No Holds Barred, action-comedy Suburban Commando, and family comedy Mr. Nanny. While also making cameo’s in Gremlins 2: The New Batch and Muppets From Space. Even though his own acting career didn’t take off into super stardom, without the Hulkster we might not be able to write this list today!
5. Kevin Nash
If you know about Kevin Nash, his inclusion on this list shouldn’t surprise you. His sheer size and personality alone would make him stand out in any room, which would explain his ongoing role as Tarzan in the Magic Mike series. But before women were swooning over Nash as he shows his body off on stage, he was Super Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, and made appearances in comedy classics The Longest Yard, and Grandma's Boy!
Big Daddy Cool can’t get much cooler in our book, we hope to see more of Kevin Nash on our screens this year and beyond!
4. Andre The Giant
There’s a very small list of people you’ll hear their peers talk about and no one has a single bad thing to say about them. Though his size and appearance may have told you otherwise, Andre The Giant is on that list.
His acting resume may be small but nothing else about Andre was, as he appeared in several television episodes throughout the late 70s and early 80s before making his big screen debut in Conan The Destroyer, though it was uncredited at the time.
He would go on to appear in a 1991 episode of Zoro, as Giant in Trading Mom and who could forget Andre in the absolute classic The Princess Bride. The role of Fezzik in The Princess Bride meant so much to Andre, it’s said he would make friends come over and watch an advanced copy of the film not once, but up to six times! He stated that he “Loved the movie itself, the cast, the environment, that feeling of respect amongst his peers, the way they treated him like everyone else. He loved everything about it. Andre felt at home when filming or spending time with the cast.” We just hope wherever Andre is, he knows how much that film means to us as well.
3. Dave Bautista
One of the more unexpected but amazing crossover’s into Hollywood, Dave Bautista (known in WWE as Batista) has absolutely burst onto the scene as a top actor since his breakout role as Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy series. In 2010, Dave left WWE to pursue his passion for acting and by his own words ran into hard times.
He began starring and appearing in smaller movies like House of the Rising Sun, and The Scorpion King 3 before receiving roles in more prominent films like The Man with the Iron Fists and Riddick, but unfortunately ran into financial troubles and has said before that he was down to his last dollar and on the verge of losing it all when he got the call to join the Guardians franchise. A true example of betting on yourself, Dave Bautista has become arguably the most diverse actor out of the pro-wrester’s gone Hollywood, showing off his range in the film’s Dune, Knock at the Cabin, and Stuber, just to name a few.
With 2023 shaping up to be “The Animal’s” biggest year to date, we’re excited to see to see what’s up next and for him and to keep proving that he is indeed, “a good f’ing actor.”
2. John Cena
The Champ is here! …. In Hollywood!
John Cena making the jump to acting is something any wrestling fan could’ve seen coming, but if you’re like me you’re asking, “What took so long!?”
Before exploding on the scene within the last few years, John Cena actually made his acting debut all the way back in 2006, with WWE produced film The Marine (which has since gone on to franchise and star The Miz, but that’s an article for another time). The Marine wasn’t the breakout role WWE had hoped it would be for Cena, time would tell that he was destined for the big screen.
Becoming a meme sensation sometime in the mid 2010’s, partially due to his appearances in the "Fred" movie series, its safe to say John Cena mania had taken over the internet and Hollywood quickly took notice. In 2015 Cena would go on to make appearances in the comedies Trainwreck and Daddy's Home showing that the wrestler gone actor was willing to take roles that poke fun at himself and that he’s willing to do roles outside of what the WWE audience saw him as.
Cena would go on to star in 2018’s Bumblebee which to many was the first time they would see him as an action star, leading to him landing roles in not only the Fast and Furious series, but also the breakout role of Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad which would lead to an HBO Series of the character’s name. Cena is really starting to come into his own as an actor and is slated to appear in the upcoming Barbie movie & upcoming Fast X.
Out of all of our childhood hero’s, seeing Cena enjoy the successes of Hollywood has been one of the coolest things to see.
1. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Does this man even need an introduction!? He’s the most ELECTRIFYING MAN IN ALL OF SPORT’S ENTERTAINMENT!
The Rock is easily the biggest name to come out of professional wrestling and break into Hollywood, and it all started back in 2001 with his role in The Mummy Returns which would lead into his own spinoff, The Scorpion King. When you learn a little bit about The Rock as a person and understand his work ethic, it makes sense that he would later become literally the biggest celebrity in the world, but his journey there would require some convincing for the rest of the world.
Through the mid-2000s, The Rock grinded his teeth getting roles in films such as the video game adaptation Doom, action-comedy Get Smart, and eventually landing roles with Disney for their films The Game Plan, Race to Witch Mountain, and the absolute classic Tooth Fairy (yes this is sarcasm friends).
It was around the time of Rocky doing a slew of family movies, that the conscious decision to breakout of the family friendly route and break into action-comedy was made, which would propel him to being the superstar we know today. Starting with The Other Guys, The Rock’s filmography takes a beautifully drastic turn into the action-adventure genre as he would go onto appear as Hobbs in Fast Five leading to a 2019 spinoff film about his character, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw and would make an appearance in the Hasbro born film G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
His sense of humor would never leave and he would remind us of that with his roles in the hilarious action-comedies Pain and Gain, Central Intelligence, and the 2017 remake of Baywatch. Pain and Gain was one of those movies I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I first watched it, directed by Michael Bay you’d expect an action-adventure movie and based off the marketing material for the film, I would expect you think that’s exactly what it is. If you’re looking for a hilarious comedy that shows a different side to The Rock’s acting chops, I would recommend checking this title out, starring Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Mackie, and The Rock, watch as three gym rats try to rob a rich client in this hilarious trial of errors… based on a true story.
Since breaking into Hollywood, The Rock has since opened his own production studio, 7 Bucks Productions where they have produced Fighting With My Family, Skyscraper, the Jumanji Series, and most recently Black Adam. The Rock has also since produced a television series titled “Young Rock” showcasing stories from his upbringing and giving viewers and insight into his life growing up in the wrestling industry and his rise to super stardom, warts and all.
One thing no one can ever say about The Rock is that he forgot his roots, and because of that the millions AND MILLIONS of loyal wrestling fans around the world will always support what he does, and watching him go from Rocky Maivia debuting at Survivor Series all the way to becoming the most recognizable celebrity today has been an absolute journey to see, and a prime example of why professional wrestlers will continue to cross over into mainstream entertainment for years and years to come.
Breaking this list down to just 10 was difficult as recently more and more professional wrestlers are making the jump into mainstream entertainment. Whether it be Becky Lynch appearing on Young Rock, or CM Punk making an appearance on Heels you never know where the next wrestler could show up, or when the next Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be born. All we know is we can’t wait to see who breaks out next!