20 Wrestlers Who Went Hollywood

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The wrestlers who went Hollywood, even for a brief time, are numerous. After conquering the squared ring it was believed that they could find success in movies and TV as well. Whether they were successful or not, many of them created memorable moments.

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Roddy Piper

Roddy had a part in several different movies, but without a doubt, one of his most memorable performances was in They Live. “I have come here to chew bubblegum and…” Old-school fans know the rest.

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Jesse Ventura

Jesse Venture showed up in a few movies throughout his career. He also was given his own show not long ago. But his role in Predator is one of the absolute best. “I ain’t got time to bleed” is simply iconic.

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Andre the Giant

Who can possibly forget Fezzik from The Princess Bride? As a lovable giant, Andre was given a great role that, according to his costars, exemplified the type of person he really was.

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Hulk Hogan

Say what you’d like about Hogan, he did help to create a massive buzz in Hollywood when it came to wrestlers crossing over. No Holds Barred with Zeus “Tiny” Lester wasn’t a great movie, but it led to other roles, and his time as Thunderlips in Rocky III was amusing.

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Diamond Dallas Paige

DDP did manage to find his way into a couple of movies. But one of the more notable roles he was given allowed him to play a heel version of himself in Ready to Rumble.

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Macho Man Randy Savage

The Macho Man didn’t show up in a lot of high-profile roles, but when he did, Randy made them count. For one, his short stint as BoneSaw in the first Spider-Man movie was instantly memorable. His return as himself in Ready to Rumble was worth noting as well.

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The Miz

He was naturally built as a heel in the WWE, so it was a little tough to embrace his heroic character in The Marine sequels. Of course, as a heel, his character was made to talk about the role incessantly, which just made him even more popular.

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Kevin Nash

Seriously, it feels like Kevin Nash is one of the most underrated actors who came from the WWE. It’s possible that his bit roles in movies like John Wick, The Punisher, and several others had something to do with this. But his role as a homosexual man in Chick Fight was an interesting look at his range.

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Triple H

Honestly, Triple H didn’t find great success in Hollywood, but he did give it a good try. His role in Blade: Trinity, was easily one of the more interesting contributions he made, but it does feel as though if given a chance he could have done more.

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The Big Show

Much like the WWE, it’s fair to assume that the Big Show was going to find roles that played on his size. Whether it was a goofy movie like Knucklehead, a vicious one like Vendetta, or just bit parts in movies such as The Waterboy, he’s still a very believable actor.

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Edge

In terms of movies, Edge has found roles in mediocre, straight-to-DVD or streaming movies more often than not. But he did end up finding a great role in the show Vikings, where he was hard to recognize at first, even though he was an interesting character.

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Goldberg

Believe it or not, Goldberg found his way into one of the more forgettable Universal Soldier movies opposite Jean Claude Van Damme. But apart from that, playing himself in Ready to Rumble was fun, and his part in The Longest Yard remake was easily one of his best.

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Kurt Angle

Kurt has shown up in a few movies as kind of a gag, but one of the best roles hands down came in Warrior. Paired up against Joel Edgerton’s character Brandon, Kurt’s role as a savage fighter named Koba was cool since it showed a very different side that even the WWE didn’t showcase.

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Sasha Banks

There’s only one role that a lot of people know Sasha for since it’s one of her absolute best and one of her only noted roles. Her time as Koska Reeves in The Mandalorian is gold. Her brief fight with the legend, Boba Fett, is nothing short of great.

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Kane

The See No Evil movies were his claim to fame in Hollywood, but at the same time, Kane is one of the scariest individuals to enter the WWE. While his stint in movies was short, it was still interesting to witness.

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Terry Funk

Despite playing bit roles, Terry Funk is iconic since his look and attitude carried him a long way. Just imagine the chance to square off with Patrick Swayze in Road House. That’s definitely cool.

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Stone Cold Steve Austin

In recent years he’s taken part in a lot of straight-to-DVD or streaming movies. But his main role in The Condemned, his part in the remake of The Longest Yard, and even his appearance in The Expendables were enough to cement his place in Hollywood.

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Batista

As one of the wrestlers who’s shown up just about everywhere since joining Hollywood, Batista has come a long way. Drax the Destroyer is his most noted role. But he’s taken on several other notable roles such as Tong Po in the Kickboxer remake, and even a role in the Dune remake.

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John Cena

His stint in The Marine started things off in a big way, as did his TV roles in shows such as Psych. But it’s his role as Peacemaker in Suicide Squad and the HBO Max show that has continued to make John Cena a big name in Hollywood.

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The Rock

Out of all the wrestlers who went Hollywood, The Rock, Dwayne Johnson, is the most successful. His appearance in The Mummy Returns, then The Scorpion King, catapulted his career in a big way. Since then, he’s appeared on TV, in various movies such as Doom, Walking Tall, Be Cool, and of course, the Fast and Furious franchise, have made it clear that he’s the biggest star that wrestling and Hollywood have seen in a while.