With news of Seth Rollins joining the MCU, as well as WWE superstars Charlotte Flair and Liv Morgan set to make an appearance in the upcoming film, Queen of the Ring, it's no secret that Hollywood has always had a long-standing relationship with the wrestling world. Known for their ability to act in the ring, professional wrestlers can find it easy to shift into different personas, especially on a movie set.
While not all films featuring pro wrestlers have found success, that hasn't stopped producers from casting them in various roles over the years, and here are just 12 offerings among many that prove the sport will have Tinseltown in a headlock for a long time to come.
12 Ready to Rumble (2000)
In the dying days of WCW, they were trying anything they could to stay relevant, which included having a slew of its stars appear in Ready to Rumble, a movie about two best friends who operate a sewage truck going on a quest to help their wrestling idol get back that which he once lost.
Directed by Brian Robbins, the film featured such WCW icons as Goldberg, Diamond Dallas Page, Sting, Booker T, and Randy Savage to name a few. While the movie bombed at the box office, it's most notable for kick-starting a wrestling storyline that saw Hollywood star David Arquette go on to actually win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. It also featured the debut of John Cena, who hadn't yet turned his attention to pro wrestling, but appeared as an uncredited extra in a gym scene.
11 Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
One of the most well-loved films in the MCU debuted in theaters on August 1st, 2014, and featured WWE superstar Dave Bautista in his breakout role as Drax the Destroyer. Stealing almost every scene he was in with quirky one-liners and his imposing demeanor, Guardians of the Galaxy would go on to become the third highest-grossing film of the year, beaten only by The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, and Transformers: Age of Extinction.
For Bautista, it would prove to be a launching ground for his acting career. While he's appeared as Drax several more times in MCU sequels, he's also gone on to be a great character actor, appearing in such films as Blade Runner 2049, Dune, and Knock at the Cabin. With his professional wrestling career in the rearview mirror, things are looking as good as they ever have for Dave Bautista, though he has said he is done appearing in Marvel movies.
10 They Live (1988)
Directed by John Carpenter, They Live starred WWE superstar Roddy Piper as a drifter who, after finding a pair of special sunglasses, discovers that much of the ruling class are actually aliens manipulating humanity through subliminal messages in the media. Teaming up with Keith David's character, Frank, the pair look to take down the aliens and thwart their dastardly plan to drain Earth of all its resources.
Piper was cast as the lead in the film after Carpenter met him at WrestleMania 3 in 1987. Featuring a drawn-out fight scene between Piper's unnamed drifter character and Keith David, They Live is fondly remembered for Roddy's often-quoted line, "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum," which he came up with himself. Piper would go on to have a long career in the movies before his death in 2015.
9 See No Evil (2006)
As the first major film produced by recently-formed WWE Studios, See No Evil starred wrestler Glenn Jacobs, better known to fans as Kane, portraying a psychotic killer who terrorizes a group of petty criminals just trying to clean up an old hotel as part of their community service.
Ripe with horror clichés and predictable scares, See No Evil certainly wasn't going to win any awards, but at least it made its money back, grossing $18.6 million worldwide with a budget of $8 million. Jacobs would go on to reprise his role as Jacob Goodnight in a straight-to-DVD sequel, See No Evil 2, directed by the Soska Sisters and released in 2014. Kane hasn't been seen in the wrestling world since 2022, and is currently the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee, where he's been in office since 2018.
8 The Princess Bride (1987)
Based on William Goldman's 1973 novel of the same name, The Princess Bride starred Cary Elwes as Westley, a swashbuckling farmhand seeking to rescue Princess Buttercup from the repulsive Prince Humperdink. The film featured the eighth wonder of the world, André the Giant, in the role of Fezzik, who would offer anybody a peanut.
While André was always Goldman's first choice to portray Fezzik, others were considered, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Lou Ferrigno. Even Liam Nissan auditioned to play the part, but he was too short. A deal was eventually struck, paving the way for André to settle into the role. Worried that his fellow cast members would view him as some sort of freak due to his size, he was pleasantly surprised when they treated him as just another actor, which made the experience all the more gratifying for the lovable giant.
7 The Main Event (2020)
This family offering from Netflix starred Seth Carr as 11-year-old Leo, who finds a magical mask that allows him to enter a competition to fulfill his dream of becoming a WWE superstar. This lighthearted sports comedy was produced by WWE Studios and released on the streaming platform on April 10th, 2020.
The Main Event also featured such WWE mainstays as The Miz, Sheamus, and Kofi Kingston, and was seen by some critics as nothing more than a marketing tool for the promotion as it looks to expand into the streaming market. Regardless, it was fun for what it was and served its purpose of entertaining young wrestling fans.
6 The Marine (2006)
Featuring WWE legend John Cena in his acting debut, The Marine follows John Triton disobeying direct orders to go on a solo mission to rescue hostages before they can be beheaded by Al-Qaeda. Directed by John Bonito, it was released to theaters on October 13th, 2006.
Panned by critics, The Marine is one of those action movies that is so bad it's good, as it tapped into the fears of America at the time when terrorism was running rampant in the media. It has since gone on to spawn several sequels, also starring a WWE superstar in Mike "The Miz" Mizanin. Cena has gone on to have a successful career in Hollywood, appearing in the Fast and Furious franchise, as well as being a part of the DCU as The Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad and an HBO series of the same name.
5 Spider-Man (2002)
Starring Tobey Maguire as the titular character, Spider-Man was a box office sensation in 2002, becoming the first film to surpass the $100 million dollar mark in a single weekend, breaking a record held previously by Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone which saw an opening weekend gross of $90.3 million dollars.
Early in the film, there's an appearance by former WWE and WCW superstar "Macho Man" Randy Savage portraying Bonesaw McGraw, a character based on Crusher Hogan in the comics. An over-the-top fight scene ensues that sees Peter Parker emerge victorious in the wrestling match, but he's quickly cheated out of his winnings by the promoter. This sets off a chain of events that leads to Uncle Ben being killed. Though Savage had appeared in several TV shows before Spider-Man, this was his most memorable Hollywood role. He would go on to do mostly voiceover work before his death in 2011.
4 Fighting with My Family (2019)
Starring Florence Pugh, Fighting with My Family is a sports biopic about the life of professional wrestler Saraya "Paige" Bevis that follows her trials and tribulations as she makes her way to the WWE.
With Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Seven Bucks Productions having a hand in producing the film, he also makes an appearance in the movie, as do superstars Big Show, Sheamus, and The Miz. Received favorably by critics, Fighting with My Family foregoes the obvious wrestling clichés and presents a film with heart, and also features a breakout performance by Pugh portraying Paige.
3 The Condemned (2007)
Another WWE Studios production, The Condemned stars "Stone Cold" Steve Austin as convict Jack Conrad, a man forced to fight nine other prisoners to the death in a twisted reality TV show being illegally broadcast to the public.
Featuring Austin in his first starring role, The Condemned is a wildly outrageous action movie remembered for its gratuitous violence. Though it's no cinematic masterpiece, fans of the genre absolutely loved it at the time despite its box office failure. A sequel starring WWE superstar Randy Orton was released in 2015. Austin would go on to be featured in several more action roles, and can currently be seen on Stone Cold Takes on America on the A&E network.
2 Rocky 3 (1982)
Written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, Rocky III marks the third entry in the popular film series and sees Rocky face off against Clubber Lang, portrayed by Mr. T. Along the way, he does battle with professional wrestler Thunderlips, with Hulk Hogan starring in the role.
At the time, the mindset in professional wrestling was that if you were a wrestler, you were a wrestler. Not a film or TV star. As such, Hogan was fired from the WWE (WWF back then) after agreeing to take the role offered to him by Stallone. It was the right move, as Thunderlips elevated his status beyond the wrestling ring. He would later be welcomed back by the promotion and go on to become the biggest wrestling star of the '80s. As for his career in Hollywood, Hogan would star in a bunch of family films, as well as play himself in various TV spots.
1 Fast and Furious 6 (2013)
After becoming filthy rich in Fast Five, Dominic Toretto and his gang are scattered across the globe before being brought together by DSS agent Luke Hobbs to take down a mercenary organization in exchange for full pardons for their crimes.
Fast and Furious 6 marked WWE superstar Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's second appearance in the popular franchise. No stranger to Hollywood, he had already starred in such films as The Scorpion King, The Game Plan, and Tooth Fairy. Earning a worldwide total of $789 million dollars in its theatrical run, it is currently the highest grossing film in the franchise outside of North America. Though star Vin Diesel and The Rock haven't always gotten along on set, the character of Hobbs did make a cameo in the latest installment, Fast and Furious 10, indicating that he will be reprising the role in the upcoming sequels.
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