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Pro wrestlers who made the leap to Hollywood stardom

Pro wrestlers who made the leap to Hollywood stardom

Posted: Apr 16th 2018 By: Kirsten Fleming

Although the Rock is probably the most successful wrestler-turned-actor, he isn’t the only one who went from the top rope to a Hollywood set.

Here’s how some other big-name grapplers have fared.

Hulk Hogan

Hogan’s first role as wrestler Thunderlips in “Rocky III” was his best. With his perfect Fu Manchu mustache, unabashed preening and harem of red bikini-clad chicks in his corner, he was the ultimate heel.

But he also became the ultimate typecast. He played an interstellar hero in “Suburban Commando” and a wrestler-turned-child-minder in “Mr. Nanny.” Hulkamania needs to run wild on variation to get any respect in the acting department.

John Cena

The WWE golden boy embarked on an acting career by sticking close to home. He starred in WWE-produced action flicks like 2006’s “The Marine” and 2009’s “12 Rounds.” But he body-slammed his lame action-hero alter ego when he played Amy Schumer’s mimbo in 2015’s “Trainwreck” and flexed his funny muscles. He brings the gross laughs again in “Blockers,” which means we should have faith in his comedy crossover.

André the Giant

When “The Princess Bride” was written, the role of the Fezzik was crafted with André the Giant in mind. At that point, the Frenchman named André Roussimoff, who died in 1993, had only acted as brutish Bigfoot in “The Six Million Dollar Man.” But he played the rhyming giant Fezzik like a seasoned thespian.

Jesse Ventura

There is no bigger chameleon in the wrestling world than Jesse “The Body” Ventura. In the ’80s, the Navy vet was a feather boa-wearing grappler and then a commentator. Before becoming the governor of Minnesota, in 1999, he starred in 1987’s “Predator” and then “The Running Man” that same year. Ventura’s been neglecting his IMDb page recently, but given his propensity to reinvent himself, don’t rule out a box-office-topping performance in the future.

Steve Austin

Better known as Stone Cold, Steve Austin was the undisputed bad-boy superstar of wrestling in the ’90s. The Texan was the brawn du jour in “The Expendables” (2010), starring alongside Sylvester Stallone. He was a prison guard in Adam Sandler’s “The Longest Yard” and played Sandler’s steroidal childhood bully in “Grown Ups 2.” But his acting career has been stone cold of late.

 

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