Wrestling has been popular in the United States for decades. This sport is notable for the fact that there are a lot of show elements in it. The image of each of the wrestlers is thought out by the creators – everything to please the public!
In addition to their purely athletic qualities, wrestlers have to show artistry in the ring. Maybe this is why many wrestling graduates have achieved considerable success in the film industry?
Introducing 10 former wrestlers who were also able to build a film career.
- 10. Steve Austin
- 9. Harold Sakata
- 8. Andre Rune Rusimov
- 7. Thor Johnson
- 6. John Cena
- 5. Jesse Ventura
- 4. Kevin Nash
- 3. Dave Batista
- 2. Hulk Hogan
- 1. Dwayne Johnson
Table of Contents
10. Steve Austin
Steve first entered the ring in 1989. He came to the wrestling federation two years later and took the pseudonym “Stunning”.
A few months later, Austin won the Television World Championship belt. And already in 1993 he won the US Championship.
In cinema, Austin is known for his role in the films: “Damage”, “The Stranger”, “The Expendables”, etc.
9. Harold Sakata
Harold Sakata, in addition to working in films, was a wrestler nicknamed Tosh Togo.
His first film debut was as the villainous murderer Odjoba in the legendary Goldfinger. After this role of Odjob, for his massive physique and chilling smile, Sakata became known so much that he decided to make this image to some extent his “second self”: henceforth, the former wrestler asked to sign him in YouTube by Harold “Odjob” Sakata.
And despite the fact that he was no longer offered such high-profile roles, Sakata for another couple of decades quite successfully exploited the image of a sinister Asian on the movie screen.
8. Andre Rune Rusimov
At one time, this athlete entered the ring under the pseudonym Andre the Giant. Then he was a real star, especially among fans of this sport. Andre was considered an undefeated wrestler.
In addition to his sports career, he also starred in films. His most famous work in cinematography was his role in the film The Princess Bride.
This big man suffered from gigantism from birth, so he continued to grow throughout his life. At the time of his death, his height was 225 cm, and his weight was 240 kg.
7. Thor Johnson
This legendary wrestler weighed a whole 181 kilograms. He had a large head with black hair, but decided to shave his head to give his appearance a more sinister look.
He occasionally received bit parts in films after moving to California in 1934, and ended his acting career in the early 1960s. However, he continued to appear on television and starred in several promotional videos.
6. John Cena
This wrestler has 25 championship victories. In addition, he is a thirteen-time WWE Heavyweight Champion and a 5-time WWE US Champion.
The athlete also managed to appear in 17 films, and also recorded a rap album, which took 15th place on the Billboard-200 chart. By the way, he appears in the ring to the sound of his composition “My Time Is Now”.
Debut in big cinema for John Cena was the work in the movie “Marine” in tandem with Robert Patrick. The second significant picture is “12 rounds”. There, the wrestler appeared before the audience in the guise of a charismatic law enforcement officer. The sports drama Legendary, in which John Cena starred, was released in 2010.
5. Jesse Ventura
Jesse Ventura is an American politician (was the Governor of Minnesota), actor, radio and television presenter. Speaking in the professional ring, he became famous under the name Jesse “Body” Ventura. In 2004, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Jesse starred in films: “Batman and Robin”, “Predator”, “Destroyer”, “The X-Files”, “Hunter”, etc.
4. Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash is an American wrestler, actor, and former basketball player. Nash performed in the ring under several pseudonyms, but he gained fame thanks to his work under his real name.
Nash also made significant progress in WWF, where he competed under the pseudonym Diesel. In addition, he is one of the three founders of the nWo group.
In 1991, Nash made his first big screen appearance in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Emerald Potion. There he played the role of the villain Shredder. He also appeared in a cameo in episodic 23 episodes of season 1 of the popular 90s TV series “Sabrina the Little Witch”.
3. Dave Batista
Batista made her in-ring debut at Ohio Valley Wrestling in 2000. Then the novice wrestler appeared before the public under the pseudonym Leviathan, in honor of the huge biblical monster.
After three solo performances, Dave joins the Disciples of Synn. For a long time Batista remained invincible, but Glen Thomas Jacobs, who then entered under the hegemony of Kane, broke a series of his high-profile successes.
Despite this, Batista very soon regained his former status, and even won the title of Ohio Valley Wrestling champion.
After that, Dave had another fight at OVW – with Prototype, and after that he moved to the central WWE site – SmackDown.
Dave first appeared on the big screen in 2006 in the comedy Strange Relatives. The first television appearance on the screen is considered to be a role in one of the series of the popular youth series Smallville.
Batista is also known to the general public thanks to his participation in the films “My son, my son, what have you done”, “The Inside of the City”, “Guardians of the Galaxy”.
2. Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan, nicknamed “Hollywood” is one of the most famous and brilliant wrestlers in the world. Hogan is easy to recognize: a blond drooping mustache, long white hair, an adorable bandana, and a ton of muscle.
Fans of wrestling associate his image with the “golden era” of this sport, when real blood was shed in the ring, and wrestlers did not use prohibited techniques.
Hulk Hogan is a 12-time world heavyweight champion.
Hulk is not only a brilliant fighter, but also a fairly well-known actor in Hollywood. He successfully starred in such iconic films as “Thunder in Paradise” and “Ultimatum”.
1. Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Johnson is a former famous wrestler and currently one of the highest paid Hollywood actors. The audience remembered him for his roles in the films: “Fast and Furious”, “Jumanji”, “The Scorpion King”, “Second Chance” and many others.
Johnson’s debut in the ring took place in 1996 – then the future Hollywood star performed under the stage name Rocky Maivia, which he composed from parts of his father’s name and grandfather’s surname. And already three months later he was awarded the first title of the WWF intercontinental champion.
After some time, Dwayne decided to take a short break from work in order to slightly correct his sports image, which by that time the public was already slightly fed up.
Johnson returned to the sport in the form of such a bad guy with a new pseudonym Scala. In this spectacular role, he was able to earn the boundless love of fans and win the championship title in various WWE competitions 17 times.