5 Pro Wrestlers Who Successfully Transitioned to Acting

Pro wrestling often sees some of their superstars switch their careers to acting. The switch makes sense because pro wrestling involves as much acting as athleticism. Let us take a look at 5 pro wrestlers who successfully transitioned to acting.

1. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

The Rock is regarded as one of the best pro wrestlers of all time. He was an integral part of WWE’s ‘attitude era’ and was often praised for his in-ring mic skills. During his WWE career, he won the WWE Championship 8 times, the WWE Tag Team Title 5 times, and the Intercontinental Championship twice. He also won the Royal Rumble in 2000.

He then switched his career to acting. Some of his notable movies include Jumanji – Welcome to the Jungle, Walking Tall, and Red Notice, He also is a part of the famous Fast & Furious franchise where he plays the character of Luke Hobbs who was initially tasked to capture Dominic Torretto, and Brian O’Connor but ends up joining their team in the latter part of the movie series.

Rock’s highest-grossing movie was Furious 7 which crossed the $1.51 billion mark. Among his numerous awards, he notably won the Shorty Award for Best Actor in 2016, the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Premium TV Actor in 2016, and the NAACP Image Award for Entertainer of the Year in 2017.

2. John Cena

John Cena is the most renowned WWE star in the world. He joined WWE in 2000 and in his illustrious career he won the WWE Championship a record 13 times and the World Heavyweight Championship three times. He is also a five-time WWE United States Champion, a two-time WWE Tag Team Champion, a two-time World Tag Team Champion, a two-time Royal Rumble winner, and a one-time Money in the Bank winner.

Cena made his Hollywood debut in 2006 where he played the lead character in Marine. Some of his best movies include The Wall, Freelance, 12 Strikes, Hidden Strike, and more. Cena also plays the role of peacemaker (whose job is to maintain peace at any cost) in the Suicide Squad. In the Bumblebee, he plays the character of Jack Burns, a former US Army personnel and agent of Sector 7, who initially sees Bumblebee as a threat to humanity but later protects and assists him from the real enemies.

Like Rock, John Cena is also a part of the Fast & Furious franchise, and his highest-grossing movie was Fast and Furious 9 earning $726 million worldwide. In 2017, Cena won the CinemaCon award for the Best Actor of the Year.

3. Bautista

Bautista signed in 2000 and quickly rose to fame thanks to his charisma and charm. During his WWE career, he won the World Heavyweight Championship four times which included a 282-day reign as champion which is a WWE record. He also won the WWE Championship twice, the World Tag Team Championship three times, and the WWE Tag Team Championship once.

Like John Cena, Bautista also made his Hollywood debut in 2006. The 55-year-old is versatile in acting and is often seen in all kinds of movies such as action, comedy, thriller, etc. Some of his movies include House of the Rising Sun, The Man with the Iron Fists, Riddick, and Army of the Dead. He also plays the role of Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy which is also his highest-grossing movie at $7B and as Duke Cody, a video game streamer and men’s rights activist on Twitch and YouTube in the movie ‘Knives Out’.

4. Adam Copeland (Edge)

Adam Copeland, known by his in-ring name, Edge joined WWE in 1996. He enjoyed a successful stint in WWE winning the World Heavyweight Championship for a record seven times. He also held the WWE Championship four times, the Intercontinental Championship five times, the US Championship once, and the World Tag Team Championship a record 12 times mostly during teaming up with Christian.

After his WWE career, Edge made a switch to acting and appeared in various movies and TV series. Some of his movies include Bending the Rules, The Flash, Mind of Mencia, and many more. Edge also made an appearance on the Vikings TV show portraying Kjetill “Flatnose” Eriksson, a member of Floki’s Icelandic settlement.

Currently, Edge performs under the All Elite Wrestling Federation.

5. Andre the Giant

André René Roussimoff, known as Andre the Giant, started his pro wrestling career at the age of 18. He joined WWF in 1973 and instantly became the face of the organization. He won the WWF championship WWF Tag Team Championship with Haku and was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame Class 1993. Roussimoff’s last match in WWF came in 1992 in a six-man tag team match.

In his Hollywood career, Andre the Giant appeared in movies like The Princess Bride, I Like to Hurt People Micki + Maude, and Trading Mom. In 2018, a movie was made on his career starting Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cary Elwes, and Robin Wright.

Mohd Faisal Hakak

Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.