For years, wrestling and movies have had a connection. In Mexico, it was standard for many masked luchadores to also be movie stars, most notably El Santo. Likewise, Japan has mixed in workers in movie roles. That’s done for the U.S. as well as wrestlers are usually picked to play the parts of thugs or the big tough guy the hero has to beat. In most cases, it’s somewhat forgettable roles but as wrestling has risen up, studios have reached out to some stars in hopes of beefing up attention. In a few cases, the wrestler really benefits as it opens up doors in Hollywood. They know their time in the ring is limited and moving onto a movie career is a great way to stay on top. Just look at how Dwayne Johnson went from The Rock to one of the richest men in Hollywood.

Sadly, too many wrestlers get roles that are quite frankly terrible. They end up in major flops and the parts don’t do much to help their standing. Indeed, a few see their movie careers die as fast as they began. It’s notable how guys who can be fantastic performers in WWE come off terrible in a movie, showing there is a difference between wrestling and pure acting. Here are 13 wrestlers who regretted being in some bad movies but 7 who got a huge break with their roles to show how Hollywood can be just as much a risk as anything in wrestling in terms of stardom.

24 Regret: Kane - See No Evil (Jacob Goodnight)

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Okay, so from a financial perspective, 2006's See No Evil wasn't such a disaster for Kane. The first major film to be produced by WWE Films actually exceeded its budget at the box office, raking in $18 million on what was an $8 million budget for the film. Doing a horror slasher with a WWE Superstar led to the casting of Kane, who as we know, isn't new to some pretty disturbing storylines. As for the plot of the movie, Kane plays Jacob Goonight, who preys on a group of petty criminals put in charge of repairing a hotel as part of their community service.

Despite its moderate success at the box office, the film garnered a rating of 8% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a consensus of: "See No Evil is packed with cliches from countless other teen slasher films, making for a predictable, scare-free waste of time."

As bad as the reviews were for the film, it likely could've been worse. Given that WWE Films was producing the project, Vince McMahon had a say in some of the film and it's been revealed by many that McMahon wanted Kane's character Jacob to have a three-foot um... member. Thankfully, the directors were able to convince the big boss that it wasn't a good idea.

23 Big Break: Batista - Guardians of the Galaxy (Drax)

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For a guy who came into wrestling late, Dave Bautista did a great job in WWE. From the start, he had great charisma and a powerful worker to take off better than expected as champion. But he impressed by showing good skills in feuds with Triple H, the Undertaker and John Cena. He tried his hand at movies in the forgettable The Man With the Iron Fists but seemed to hang more with wrestling. However, with his injuries piling up, Batista took time away before a return in 2014. That went badly as the fans wanted Daniel Bryan on top and when it became clear Batista wasn’t going to get much ahead, he left in a huff. But as fate had it, just months after his exit, he got the break most wrestlers would kill for.

The role of Drax in “Guardians of the Galaxy” may not have been what comic purists wanted. But Batista’s performance as the dull-witted but good-hearted fighter Drax was a hit.

Fans loved his funny lines and selling the wild circumstances and even some dramatic bits. The movie beat the doubters by becoming one of the best Marvel movies ever. It’s led to success for Batista such as playing a bad guy in the Bond movie “Specter.” He’s also reprised Drax for sequels and even a theme park ride and thus proving himself a bigger Hollywood deal than most WWE stars.

22 Regret: Edge - Bending the Rules (Nick Blades)

As a performer in WWE, Edge was fantastic. His promos were always terrific and fans loved to cheer him on even when he was the heel. His ring work was great but it really was his gift on the mic that made Edge a star. He had a small role in 2000’s “Highlander Endgame” which he acted like it was an A-list starring part. But it was still better than 2012’s “Bending the Rules.” Adam Copeland is a New Orleans cop with Jamie Kennedy as the D.A. trying to put him away on corruption charges. They accidentally stumble on a criminal plot and soon are forced to be on the run together to prove their innocence. From the start, the film falters as Copeland and Kennedy just don’t have any chemistry needed for the “mismatched buddy cop” genre.

Edge just comes off too much as a goof overall, a parody of the maverick cop syndrome. Not helping is a bad script and wasting a good supporting cast like Alicia Witt and Jennifer Esposito. The movie barely made a blip in theaters and no wonder Edge went back to working with WWE in supporting bits. Because movie stardom sadly wasn’t in the cards despite his great talents.

21 Regret: Trish Stratus - Bounty Hunters (Jules)

Trish Stratus Bounty Hunters

When she first broke out in WWE in 2000, Trish Stratus was nothing but eye candy. She looked to be just another stacked blonde in tight outfits, a cowboy hat and long coats. Sure, she impressed taking a power bomb through a table by the Dudleyz but not much else. But then, after some training, Trish became one of the best female workers of her time, a multiple champion and her charisma with the fans off the charts. She retired as champion in 2006 and would keep busy with a yoga studio and later motherhood. But she tried her hand at acting with 2011’s “Bail Enforcers” (later renamed Bounty Hunters).

She plays one of a trio of competing bounty hunters who capture a guy and argue over who gets to turn him in.

Enter a mobster who wants the guy himself and offers a million dollars to whoever brings him to him. The trio refuse to break their ethics and thus find themselves hunted by gunmen.

Stratus is sadly another case of a wrestler who can be a great performer on WWE but hasn't gotten the right part in movies. She does well with the action scenes (even working in her wrestling moves) but her acting can be rather flat and the movie flopped badly. It’s too bad given Stratus’ talent and heat that she couldn’t connect as well in movies.

20 Big Break: The Rock - The Scorpion King (Mathayus)

In many ways, the role wasn’t the best. But it was also the part that launched Dwayne Johnson in Hollywood and for that alone, it has to be cited. “The Mummy Returns” opens by talking of the Scorpion King (Rock), a warrior who made a pact with the evil gods for an army to conquer his rivals. It worked but the gods waited until he’d achieved victory to steal his soul away. The character then returns in a monstrous form in the climax which many cite as one of the worst CGI effects of all time. However, Rock’s performance did impress the studio enough to instantly green-light a spin-off prequel for the character. Here, Mathayus is the last of a sect of assassins hired to kill a Seer (Kelly Hu) who’s aiding an evil warlord.

The movie showcases Johnson’s humor with some fun stuff as well as his great charisma. It shows in such scenes as his terrific fight with Michael Clarke Duncan and the big climax.

The movie wasn’t a huge hit but enough of a success to lead The Rock to other project.

He actually did a few hit comedies before “Fast 5” pushed him as a new action hero. Before it all, it was the Scorpion who led The Rock to become the King of Hollywood.

19 Regret: John Cena - Fred the Movie (Imaginary Dad)

John Cena is starting to do a good job moving into mainstream Hollywood stuff. True, he’s had his duds like “The Marine” but he won hails for his performance in “Trainwreck” and the recent sleeper success “Blockers.” However, he also had to be in this utterly atrocious Nickelodeon-produced film. Someone thought it would be great to turn Lucas Cruikshank’s online persona of “Fred” into a movie star. It didn’t work as the film tested so badly that it went straight to TV. Fred is the case of the biggest loser in school who’s somehow convinced he’s the coolest kid around. He’s upset when the girl of his dreams hangs out with his “rival” (who doesn’t even know Fred exists) and tries to win her over.

Cena’s role is nutty: the plot of the movie goes that Fred’s real dad vanished years ago and so he imagines Cena as his father. Thus, Cena shows up in his wrestling gear and gives “advice” that sounds just like his wilder promos. It adds to how ridiculous the entire movie is and no wonder it faded fast. Cena actually got talked into the sequels but it’s no wonder he’d prefer his fans ignore this turn for better Hollywood fare.

18 Regret: Undertaker - Suburban Commando (Bounty Hunter)

In one of his books collecting his worst reviews, Roger Ebert had a special place for “Suburban Commando.” It began with him saying folks always asked if he was tired of going to the movies and him replying that no, he loved them. “But as I exited this movie, I realized, I was tired of going to movies.” Any movie that nearly breaks Ebert’s spirit is truly horrible. Hulk Hogan is an interstellar bounty hunter whose boss is tired of him screwing up jobs with his sloppiness. He’s thus sent on a “forced vacation” to Earth where he moves into the house of an inventor (Christopher Lloyd). Soon, a pair of bounty hunters are on his tail leading to whacky hijinks.

The movie is totally stupid and idiotic with bad comedy and other pointless actions.

Notable is that one of the bounty hunters is played by The Undertaker, who was just starting to break out as a star in WWE. His fight scenes with Hogan are stupid and there’s the “clever” joke of him being mostly silent but when he does speak, he sounds like Mickey Mouse. The film was another Hogan flop and it’s no wonder Taker has shied away from making more movies given this stupid sight.

17 Big Break: Andre the Giant - The Princess Bride (Fezzik)

The recent HBO documentary about him is a great reminder to younger fans over how huge a deal (in every way) Andre the Giant was. His size was always his calling card and impressed audiences anywhere he went. The tales of his partying and various antics are legendary and add to his allure. In 1987, as his in-ring career was winding down, Andre landed what would be one of the most notable roles of any wrestler ever. “The Princess Bride” wasn’t a huge hit in its theatrical release but as soon as it hit home video, it became a much-loved classic. Andre was the perfect choice for Fezzik, the huge but kind-hearted giant who abducts heroine Buttercup but then helps her out. Despite his thick accent, Andre captivated fans with bits like his fight with Wesley and his banter with others.

It was a magnificent role and Andre was terrific in it. Actors like Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright and Billy Crystal speak with awe of Andre on set and how great he was to get along with. While other movies didn’t quite work out, there can be no denying that his “Bride” part was a key aspect of Andre’s life so even non-wrestling fans could adore the Eighth Wonder of the World.

16 Regret: Kevin Nash - Dead Or Alive (Bass Armstrong)

Video games into movies have a very poor track record. The excellent book “Light, Camera, Game Over” examines how a medium that should be perfect for film keeps hitting so many bad productions. “DOA” is a key example, based on the best-selling “Dead or Alive” series. That is famous for how it mixes gorgeous women in both fighting and playing volleyball, a bit on the cheesecake side but still some appeal.

The movie has a variety of women brought to an island to take place in a fighting tournament that’s a cover for a mad experiment to create super-soldiers.

Among them is Jaime Pressley, a knockout blonde who’s tired of the “family business” of pro wrestling. Kevin Nash plays her dad who shows up on the island to drag her back.

This leads to “comedy” such as Nash bursting into Pressley hanging with another woman and assuming they’re girlfriends. The fight scene between them is laughable with Nash unable to even properly sell a movie fight. The movie was a flop that barely made it into theaters. Pressley has actually gone on to a good career as an Emmy-winning TV actress but cites this as a low point and even Nash has to be sorry this turned his movie career into the initials DOA.

15 Regret: Paige - Santa’s Little Helper (Eleanor)

There’s something about wrestlers and Christmas movies that just creates bad results. Look at Goldberg in “Santa Slays” or Hulk Hogan in “Santa With Muscles.” Thus, an entire WWE-produced movie based around the holiday was probably doomed to fail. The Miz plays a ruthless businessman who gets a dose of his own medicine when his partners pull a hostile takeover on him. He soon loses his car, his mansion and his girlfriend. He’s then approached by Santa Claus who wants Miz to become his personal helper, known as the “Ho-Ho-Ho.” To be fair, if there’s anyone perfect for the role of a total jerk, it’s The Miz but he can’t quite sell the redemption aspect of the character or the romance with a female elf (AnnaLynne McCord) who’s a “freak” for having human ears.

But he comes off loads better than Paige.

She plays Eleanor, the daughter of the former Santa’s Helper who wants the job for herself. Seeing her in pointed ears is nuts but Paige is just flat in the part, almost no life, a far cry from the conniving heel she’s played so well in WWE. The movie faded fast and once more proved that wrestlers should be avoiding Christmas films like the plague.

14 Big Break: Roddy Piper - They Live (Nada)

From the start, Roddy Piper was a genius on screen. His promos were sheer gold from his wild rantings to acting up and had audiences in the palm of his hand. Piper was soon given “Piper’s Pit” and other segments and fans never got tired of seeing what he would say next. Upon his first retirement in 1987, Piper tried his hand at some movies but didn’t get much luck. “Hell Comes to Frogtown” was a true mess and some TV roles didn’t work out. But then came “They Live.” John Carpenter’s 1988 film is still hailed as sheer genius and in many ways, works even better today. Piper is a homeless man in Los Angeles who comes across a pair of sunglasses that reveal the true nature of the world: Billboards and magazines have messages to submit and obey, money literally says “worship me” and various people are shown to him as grotesque aliens. The idea is genius: Earth has already been invaded and the aliens are in control and we don’t even know it.

This leads to Piper getting such epic moments as strolling into a bank with the immortal line “I’ve come here to kick ass and chew bubblegum and I’m all out of bubble gum.” There’s also the incredible brawl with Keith David. Piper plays a guy who’s not a clean cut hero but still trying to face this huge force and it wins you over.

13 Regret: The Rock - Be Cool (Elliott)

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In 1994, John Travolta resurrected his career with his turn in “Pulp Fiction” and returned to the Hollywood A-list. The next year, Travolta had one of his best roles in “Get Shorty.” He played Chili Palmer, a mob enforcer sent to L.A. on a job only to fall in love with the movie industry. It was a huge hit and pushed Travolta well. In 2005, Travolta reprised the role for “Be Cool” as Chili sees a friend killed by a Russian mobster and thus decides to get into the music industry (it’s complicated). From there, he’s involved in wild plotlines and various twists. The Rock (in one of his first credits as Dwayne Johnson), is Elliott, a mob enforcer who just happens to be flamboyantly gay and an aspiring actor.

The movie was a major disappointment among critics, lacking the charm of the original.

Johnson basically plays up too many stereotypes like Eliott’s “wardrobe makeover” and a goofy haircut. True, he’s not too bad but showcases how the movie wastes a pretty good cast on a bad storyline. Johnson would of course find much bigger success but this is shows even the Rock has a few duds in his resume.

12 Regret: Goldberg - Santa’s Slay (Santa Claus)

Bill Goldberg was the last great hope of WCW. This powerhouse crushing all opponents took off huge with the company, the fans loving him and pushed to the title in no time. Of course, WCW would end up blowing it in the end and Goldberg’s stock faded along with the company’s. He decided to take a break after WCW went out of business and try his hand at acting. Sadly, he choose the horrific horror film “Santa’s Slay.” The plot is truly wild: Santa was actually the son of Satan who lost a curling contest to an angel (yes, really) and was thus was forced to become the happy, present-delivering figure for a thousand years. The sentence is up, which means Santa can now go back to the murderous figure he was. Oddly, he seems to target only Jewish families (even odder given Goldberg himself is Jewish).

You can’t blame Goldberg too much for his performance as how easily can you play a murderous axe-wielding supernatural Santa Claus? The movie is meant to be tongue in cheek but is totally stupid with scenes like Santa chasing the heroes on a Zamboni and then getting his “sleigh of hell-deer” to attack them. The film was a flop even horror buffs can’t stand and it's no wonder Goldberg decided to get back to wrestling. The whole thing was just one big lump of coal for fans.

11 Big Break: Jesse Ventura - Predator (Blain)

Jesse Ventura had a great life already, a former Navy SEAL and Vietnam veteran. In wrestling, he was sensational with his flashy style, he and Adrian Adonis great tag team champs in the AWA. In WWE, Ventura was good but injuries forced him to turn into one of the best commentators in the business. He had so much charisma pouring off of him that movies were a natural. And he ended landing one very notable part. “Predator” is one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s best films, notable in how it starts as your standard action piece before turning into a sci-fi thriller. Arnie is the leader of a pack of mercenaries sent into the jungle on a mission by CIA operative Carl Weathers. They take down a rebel camp before realizing they’ve been used.

Ventura is notable as a rough and tumble commando who chews tobacco and carries a massive helicopter gun. He wrote himself into film immortality when he’s shot and utters the line “I ain’t got time to bleed.” Soon, the team find themselves being hunted by an alien creature with Ventura an early victim. But the role got him attention and Ventura even used it during his successful run for Governor of Minnesota in 1998. Anyone who can steal a movie from Arnie and a huge alien deserves plenty of props.

10 Regret: Big Show - Knucklehead (Walter Krunk)

Thanks to his huge size, the Big Show has been courted by Hollywood a few times. He famously played a massive Santa fighting Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Jingle All the Way” and had a cameo as a wrestler in “The Waterboy.” In WWE, Show has showcased a terrific humor alongside his monster ways but sadly, that hasn’t worked as well in films. A clear showcase is “Knucklehead,” a 2010 WWE Films release. Show plays a 35-year old who still lives at an orphanage as his size makes him clumsy and can’t connect with people. Mark Feuerstein is an MMA promoter who just saw his “prized” fighter knocked out in a practice bout. He’s desperate to get a new guy when he sees Show and decides to train him. With the orphanage needing the prize money to stay open, Show agrees.

Dennis Farina called this the worst movie he ever made and he’s been in a lot of stinkers.

Show is good with the physical stuff but horrible at the rest like going on a bad date and the other lowbrow comedy of the film (we get a bikini hot tub fight). For a guy who’s damn funny in WWE, he can’t make it work as well outside it and ruins this comedy badly. Granted, Show probably didn't have much to work with in this script.

9 Regret: Triple H - The Chaperone (Ray)

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Whenever anyone in WWE wants to needle Triple H, they just bring up this movie. He himself has admitted it was a bad idea, one of several attempts by WWE to get themselves into the mainstream movie game. Hunter plays an ex-con getaway driver just out of jail and trying to go straight. He thus takes on a job as a bus driver and soon is helping chaperone a school trip for his daughter (“Modern Family’s” Ariel Winter). He thus decides to put her trip before helping his old gang out with a job. Naturally, they’re not happy with that and start chasing Hunter who has to protect the bus trip.

On screen in WWE, Hunter is a great performer, a terrific heel who can sell some good comedy moments. Sadly, in this film, he’s a total mess, overselling at some points and then just falling flat at others. He can’t be believed as a dad or a con and the movie’s comedy (we get the classic “teens helping beat the thugs” motif) is horrible. It likely put an end to any thoughts he had of a film career. Not surprisingly, Triple H has figured handling NXT and other bits of WWE business is a lot better for him than movies are.

8 Big Break: Hulk Hogan - Rocky III (Thunderlips)

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Hulk Hogan was probably always going to be a huge star. But there’s no denying that “Rocky III” was key to him becoming a household name. The sequel has Sylvester Stallone’s character dominating as champion with several title defenses. The great opening sequence shows how Rocky is becoming more of a celebrity and agreeing to face the wrestling champion, Thunderlips, in a charity bout. Hogan is terrific in the role, totally dominant and playing up a heel persona mocking the crowd. The fight is good with Rocky acting like it’s a joke before Thunderlips tosses him around like a rag doll and instigates a huge brawl. After it settles down, Thunderlips thanks Rocky, saying he just wanted to give the fans a good show.

It’s a good sequence as it shows how, as a serious fighter, Rocky is a shadow of himself, which plays into the film. Obviously, Hogan saw his star rise majorly. He was with the AWA at the time and Verne Gagne used the attention from the film to push Hogan against champion Nick Bockwinkel. But the stubborn Gagne refused to let Hogan win the belt and so Hogan went to WWE and the rest is history. Again, it’s likely Hogan would have been a star anyway but “Rocky III” is what turned him into an icon of the ‘80s.

7 Regret: Anyone in Ready to Rumble

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This could have been a great thing for any wrestling company. A major studio financing a movie meant to showcase their stars and give them some huge promotion. Given this was WCW, it’s no shock it turned into a disaster. The plot has David Arquette and Scott Caan as the fans of “the King” (Oliver Platt), the WCW champion. The King is betrayed by a corrupt promoter and loses the belt with the two trying to get him back on track. From the start, the movie showcases the idea that these two are so stupid that they believe wrestling is totally for real. Basically claiming your main audience are morons isn’t the best way to win a wrestling movie over. But it gets worse with crappy (literally) humor, idiotic jokes and more.

The WCW stars are totally lost, Sting in particular as the big hero. It should have been a good thing for the company but saddling themselves to this bad film hurt them.

Of course, the biggest problem was how Vince Russo got it into his head that it would be a brilliant idea to have Arquette win the WCW World title for real. That was pretty much the nail in the coffin for WCW but the movie itself was enough of an embarrassment to any of the stars in it.

6 Regret: Hulk Hogan in Just About Anything but Rocky III

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Yes, Hogan had a huge hit with Rocky III. However, the rest of his movie career is lacking to say the least. First was “No Holds Barred,” which had Hogan as an overly exaggerated version of himself as the beloved wrestling champion facing the monstrous Zeus. WWE pushed the film big time but it was a flop ravaged by critics. Even bringing in the real Zeus (Tiny Lister) to face Hogan for matches like SummerSlam didn’t save it. Then came “Suburban Commando,” the 1991 disaster with Hogan as a huge alien bounty hunter hiding out in the suburbs, a film that nearly broke Roger Ebert. It just got worse as Hogan quit WWE and moved onto Hollywood but hardly accomplished anything major.

“Mr. Nanny” is memorable only for Hogan dancing around in a tutu. “Santa With Muscles” and “3 Ninjas: High Noon at Magic Mountain” also played on him as an egotist but with a heart and there were other forgettable flicks like “The Secret Agent Club.” Hogan even had his syndicated TV show “Thunder in Paradise” that made “Baywatch” look like “Game of Thrones.” As great and charismatic as Hogan was in wrestling, he couldn’t make the same connections in films to provide a resume only bad movie sites could love.

5 Big Break: John Cena - Trainwreck (Steve)

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John Cena's acting career didn't exactly get off to a promising start. As many will remember, Cena's first notable role came in the original 'The Marine', where Cena plays an honorably discharged marine who struggles to adjust to a normal life and winds up having to rescue his kidnapped wife. From there, Cena mostly got roles in other action flicks from WWE Studios, but none of his performances were particularly praised. People scoffed at the thought that Cena could eventually transition to an acting career once his wrestling career was over. However, in 2015, Cena got a part that suited him a lot better.

In Judd Apatow's Trainwreck starring Amy Schumer, Cena plays Schumer's muscular but naive boyfriend.

Cena stands out in the movie, improvising many of his lines, and proving that he's a far better fit in comedic roles, than in action thrillers.

Cena spoke about how he feels more comfortable in comedies in an interview with ComingSoon.net: "I’ve often found that those action movies are tough, first of all. My hats off to anybody filming action, because you get beat up. If I’m going to get the crap kicked out of me, I would love 15,000 people on hand to tell me that I’m doing good or I’m doing bad. So, if I’m going to be in any physical duress, I’d really like it to be in a WWE ring.”

Since Cena's hilarious performance in Trainwreck, he's gotten many more roles in comedies, including his recent hit Blockers where Cena co-stars. He has many more roles lined up, and there's no doubt his role in Trainwreck is what led to his recent success in Hollywood.