Wrestling has been popular in the United States for many decades. The image of each of the wrestlers is thought out by the creators - everything to please the public!
In addition to their purely sporting qualities, wrestlers have to show artistry in the ring. Maybe that is why many wrestling natives have achieved considerable success in the film industry?
Introducing 10 former wrestlers who were also able to build a film career.
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 belt of the World Television Champion. And already in 1993, he won the US Championship.
In the cinema, Austin is known for his role in the paintings: “Damage”, “Stranger”, “The Expendables”, etc.
9. Harold Sakata
Harold Sakata, in addition to working in the cinema, was a wrestler nicknamed Tosh Togo.
His first film debut is the role of the villain-killer Odzhob in the legendary Goldfinger. After this role, Odzhob, for a massive physique and a chilling smile, Sakata became so famous that he decided to make this image to some extent his “second self”: henceforth, the former wrestler asked Harold “Odjob” Sakata to sign him on YouTube.
And despite the fact that he was no longer offered similarly high-profile roles, Sakata successfully exploited the image of a sinister Asian for a couple of decades.
8. Andre Rune Rusimov
At one time, this athlete entered the ring under the pseudonym Andre Gigant. Then he was a real star, especially among fans of this sport. Andre was considered an invincible wrestler.
In addition to his sports career, he also starred in films. The most famous work in cinema was his role in the film “Princess Bride”.
This healthy man from birth suffered from gigantism, so he continued to grow throughout his life. At the time of death, his height was 225 cm, and weight - 240 kg.
7. Thor Johnson
This legendary wrestler weighed a whopping 181 kilograms. He had a large head with black hair, but he decided to shave baldly to give his appearance a more sinister look.
He periodically received cameo roles in films after moving to California in 1934, and his acting film career ended in the early 1960s. However, he continued to appear on television and starred in several commercials.
6. John Cena
On the account of this wrestler 25 victories in the championships. He is also a thirteen-time WWE heavyweight champion and a 5-time US WWE champion.
The athlete also managed to star in 17 films, and also recorded a rap album, which took 15th place on the Billboard-200 chart. By the way, in the ring he appears to the sounds of his composition “My Time Is Now”.
The debut in the big movie for John Cena was the work in the film “Marine” paired with Robert Patrick. The second significant picture is “12 rounds”. There, the wrestler appeared before the audience in the image of a charismatic law enforcement officer. The sports drama “Legendary,” in which John Cena played a major role, 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 a professional ring, he became famous under the name of Jesse “Body” Ventura. In 2004, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Jesse starred in the films: “Batman and Robin”, “Predator”, “Destroyer”, “The X-Files”, “The Hunter”, etc.
4. Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash is an American wrestler, actor, and former basketball player. Nash in the ring acted under several pseudonyms, but he gained fame thanks to his work under his real name.
Nash also made significant progress at WWF, where he participated under the pseudonym Diesel. In addition, he is one of the three founders of the nWo group.
In 1991, Nash first appeared on the big screen in the movie “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 role in episode 23 of season 1 of the popular in the 90s series “Sabrina is a little witch”.
3. Dave Batista
Batista's debut in the ring took place as part of the Ohio Valley Wrestling show in 2000. Then the beginning 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” band. For a long time Batista remained invincible, but Glen Thomas Jacobs, who then entered under the name Kane, violated a series of high-profile successes.
Despite this, Batista very soon regained its former status, and even became owners of the Ohio Valley Wrestling champion title.
After that, Dave had another fight on OVW - with the Prototype, and after that he moved to the central WWE venue - SmackDown.
The first time Dave 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 Secrets”.
Batista is also known to the general public thanks to her participation in the films “My son, my son, what have you done”, “The wrong side of the city”, “Guardians of the Galaxy”.
2. The Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan, nicknamed "Hollywood" is one of the most famous in the world and bright wrestlers. Getting to know Hogan is quite simple: a light hanging mustache, long white hair, a charming bandana and a ton of muscle.
His image is associated among fans of wrestling with the “golden era” of this sport, when real blood was shed in the ring, and wrestlers did not use prohibited methods.
Hulk Hogan is a 12-time world heavyweight champion.
The Hulk is not only a brilliant fighter, but also a well-known actor in Hollywood. He successfully starred in such cult films as “Thunder in Paradise” and “Ultimatum”.
1. Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Johnson is a formerly renowned wrestler, and currently one of the highest paid Hollywood actors. The audience was remembered for his roles in the films: “Fast and the Furious”, “Jumanji”, “King of Scorpions”, “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 Mayvia, which he composed of parts of the name of his father and the name of his grandfather. And already three months later he was awarded the first title of WWF intercontinental champion.
After some time, Dwayne decided to take a short break in work in order to slightly adjust his sports image, which by that time was already slightly fed up with the public.
Johnson returned to the sport in the form of a kind of 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.