It can be argued that a vital component of professional wrestling organizations like WWE or AEW is acting, or at least the suspension of disbelief. Pro wrestling is an art, comprised of equal parts athleticism and performance. Making an audience believe that what they're watching is legitimate and sincere is no small feat, whether it be delivering finishing moves in the ring or battling monsters on the big screen.
Over the years, wrestlers like Dwayne Johnson, John Cena, and Hulk Hogan have left the wrestling ring to make their mark on the silver screen. In doing so, some of them have delivered some legitimately memorable film performances.
10 Randy Savage As Bonesaw McGraw Became An Enduring Meme
Spider-Man
A critical component of Spider-Man's origin story involves his humble beginnings as a wrestler when he was trying to earn some extra cash. When Sam Raimi adapted this part of the Spidey mythos in 2002's Spider-Man, he needed someone who would be recognizable to movie, comic, and wrestling fans.
The legendary 'Macho Man' Randy Savage fit the bill. Savage was a few years removed from his last nationwide wrestling exposure in World Championship Wrestling, but his years as a pitch-man for Slim Jim made him recognizable to all audiences. Savage gave Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker a heavy beating and a meme that persists to this day.
9 Hulk Hogan Set The Standard
Rocky III
20 years before his longtime rival Randy Savage was beating up Spider-Man, Hulk Hogan managed to get his hands on Rocky Balboa, who was played by Sylvester Stallone. Hogan played Thunderlips, a pro wrestler who battled Rocky in a charity match in Rocky III.
The Hogan-fueled phenomenon of Hulkamania hadn't yet gripped TVs. At the time, Hogwan was with the now-defunct AWA and hadn't signed with Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation. Playing Thunderlips in Spider-Man was a simple performance for Hogan, with him doing what he knew best, but his raw charisma shone through and opened the door for wrestlers-turned-actors to follow.
8 Jesse Ventura Was A Solid Supporting Actor In Predator
Predator
Jesse "The Body" Ventura made a name for himself as a star wrestler in the AWA and as a legendary commentator in the WWF. He turned in a handful of memorable film performances over the years, notably in the cult-favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger film The Running Man.
However, Ventura's most famous performance was as an elite paramilitary soldier in Predator, which is widely recognized as one of the most underrated action movies. Ventura portrayed the foul-mouthed Blain and stood toe-to-toe alongside Schwarzenegger. One of his most memorable lines from the film, "I ain't got time to bleed," became the title of his autobiography years later.
7 Roddy Piper Was The Perfect B-Movie Star
They Live
Pro wrestlers often find themselves relegated to either supporting roles in A-list movies or starring roles in B-movies. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper's starring performance in They Live, the John Carpenter satirical classic from 1988, definitely falls into the latter category.
Piper played the wandering nomad Nada who gets thrown into a global conspiracy by aliens to keep humanity subdued. He plays the part of the nondescript everyman to near perfection. Piper made himself immortal in film history with his classic line about "chewing bubble gum" and beating people up.
6 Steve Austin Followed In Piper's Footsteps
The Condemned
Aside from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, there was no bigger pro wrestling superstar in the late 1990s than "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. He had appeared in supporting roles in movies like The Longest Yard, but it wasn't until 2007's The Condemned that Austin got to take center stage.
The Condemned is far from a classic. It's a B-movie about an island of convicts who are forced to kill each other for an elaborate reality show. While Austin didn't make the splash that other actors who debuted in B-movies did, he took advantage of the premise and delivered a wonderfully hammy performance in an underrated B-movie action flick.
5 George Steele Played One Of His Own Predecessors
Ed Wood
Director Ed Wood used pro wrestler Tor Johnson in some of his most infamous films, including Plan 9 From Outer Space. When director Tim Burton needed someone to perfectly capture Johnson's eccentricities for his 1994 biopic Ed Wood, he looked no further than George "The Animal" Steele.
To call Steele's mannerisms and performances as a pro wrestler eccentric would be an understatement. Still, Steele perfectly captured the monosyllabic nature of Johnson's performances as well as his odd behavior behind-the-scenes, and Ed Wood turned out to be one of Burton's best movies.
4 Dwayne Johnson Has Since Become An A-List Actor
The Rundown
Today, Dwayne Johnson has his choice of acting roles. However, The Rock cut his acting teeth with smaller roles on TV in Star Trek: Voyager before hitting the big screen in 2001's The Mummy Returns and its 2002 spin-off, The Scorpion King. While 2003's The Rundown is largely forgotten, it was Johnson's first starring role and arguably one of his best performances.
Charged with protecting Seann William Scott's Travis in an action-charged battle through a dangerous jungle, Johnson set himself up as his generation's premier action star. The former People's Champion has since recaptured the perfect alignment of charisma, charm, and adrenaline in his later films, but The Rundown is a unique gem in Johnson's filmography.
3 John Cena Came Into His Own As Peacemaker
The Suicide Squad
Like Johnson and Austin before him, John Cena worked through smaller roles before hitting it big on the silver screen. Cena had played the titular role in The Marine and starred in the 2018 Transformers spin-off Bumblebee. Nevertheless, it was his turn as Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad that put Cena on the A-list.
Cena finally got a role to show off his charisma, sense of humor, and imposing physicality in The Suicide Squad. The 15-time world champion is now playing Peacemaker in an HBO Max series of the same name and finds himself as one of the most in-demand performers in Hollywood.
2 Andre The Giant's Performance As Fezzig Remains Beloved
The Princess Bride
There is no bigger personality in the history of pro wrestling than Andre the Giant. Called the Eighth Wonder of the World during his time with the WWF, Andre was well-known as wrestling's biggest attraction. His role as Fezzig in The Princess Bride shouldn't have required much acting.
However, Andre injected so much humor and lovability into the part of the rhyme-loving giant that he was impossible not to adore. Andre was a larger-than-life figure, and his charismatic and humorous turn in one of the most beloved adventure movies of all time continues to endure today.
1 Dave Bautista Made Audiences Believe In Miracles
Blade Runner 2049
Fans of WWE might know Dave Bautista best as six-time World Champion "The Animal" Batista, while MCU fans know him best as Drax The Destroyer. Bautista's most memorable performance came when he played Sapper Morton, a Replicant in Blade Runner 2049.
This role doesn't showcase Bautista's charm and humor like the recent Netflix hit Glass Onion, nor does it have the physicality of his turn as a Bond henchman in Spectre. Still, his understated, raw emotion in Blade Runner 2049 makes his few minutes on-screen memorable. Bautista's soliloquy about miracles is one of the best monologues in film history.