Pro Wrestling is a form of entertainment centered around great performances. While they aren't acting in the most traditional sense of the art, every wrestler is doing an amazing acting job every time they perform in a match or promo.
With that in mind, it is no shocker that some wrestlers make for great actors on television and film. However, there are still some that can't exactly find the skills needed to transfer over. Here are five wrestlers that became great Hollywood actors and five that flopped.
10 FLOPPED: Aron Stevens
Formerly Damien Sandow while with WWE, the popular heel left the company in 2016 after a failed face push. He then had a short run in Impact, but within another year, he had left wrestling all together. Stevens would publicly state that he was taking a break from wrestling to pursue acting.
An unfortunate admittance on his part, as he never had notable roles during the time he was away from wrestling. Stevens bounced between a few bit parts but never got to be the leading man in anything. Now back and having a great run on NWA: Power, the question has been raised of did Stevens return to wrestling because he was ready to get back in the ring, or because he felt like he wasn't making it as an actor? Maybe some of both.
9 GREAT: Jesse Ventura
Jesse "The Body" Ventura would find cult success for two 80s sci-fi staples. First, alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ventura would swap his muscle-bound cast of wrestling colleagues for a muscle-bound cast of actors in Predator. Ventura is well-remembered by fans of the classic film for his fowl language, and massive machine-gun.
Then, Ventura would re-team with Schwarzenegger for The Running Man. An action film about a violent game-show set in a future dystopia. Ventura would stand out in both films, even with the biggest action star of the time as his co-star.
8 FLOPPED: Hulk Hogan
Now it should be noted, that Hogan mad a lot of movies. His popularity in the late 80s and early 90s was something most wrestlers and actors dream about, but his movies were almost all underwhelming excuses for The Hulkster to act the same way he did on television.
None of the films feature any kind of genuine performance and there's a reason almost all of them were straight to DVD. While he certainly had filmic success to some degree, his films were the equivalent of the straight to DVD WWE studios movies that come out nowadays, and Dolph Ziggler certainly isn't going to make the list for superkicking Rusev in the buddy cop movie Countdown.
7 GREAT: Roddy Piper
Basically the anti-Hogan as far as acting goes, Piper didn't make many movies, but his performance in one of them was good enough for the wrestler to be remembered by film fans and wrestling fans alike. When horror legend John Carpenter was casting for his next film, he was told he couldn't use Kurt Russell, due to him having used him in his last three films. Carpenter wasn't sure who to get to replace Russell, until he went to Wrestlemania III and saw Rowdy Roddy Piper.
Carpenter was so impressed by Piper he cast him and the result was They Live. A cult classic action-horror about aliens sneakily taking over the Earth. Piper gives an incredible performance as a lunatic rebel hell-bent on stopping the invasion one shotgun shell at a time.
6 FLOPPED: Triple H
Despite only having a few outings to go off of, Triple H has proved that his limited runs in front of the film camera are more than enough. Having portrayed a villain in Blade: Trinity as well as a cop turned babysitter in the family comedy The Chaperone, the wrestling legend has show that he stands out like a sore thumb regardless of the film's tone. Both performances are somewhat distracting and do anything to elevate a mediocre movie.
5 GREAT: John Cena
The face of WWE for much of the 2000s has had small stints in the film world throughout his whole career and in the last couple of years he has seemingly moved to focus more on the acting side of things.
The move appears to be warranted from both wrestling fans and non, after Cena had well-received performances in a slew of comedic films like Blockers, Sisters, and Trainwreck. While he may have gotten his acting start with the WWE produced action movie The Marine, it looks like leading his own studio comedy is what's coming up next for Cena.
4 FLOPPED: The Big Show
The world's largest athlete has been in a surprising amount of movies. Having been a small player in a multitude of films that needed a big man, he has also had bigger roles like the lead in the WWE produced film Knucklehead. Unfortunately, his leading role is in an almost completely forgettable movie.
While Hollywood likely won't be calling on Show for any upcoming big roles, at least he's had some minor success, and he will always have the claim to fame of being the giant Santa Arnold fights in Jingle All the Way.
3 GREAT: Dave Bautista
The Animal has made a name for himself in the last couple years as an actor worth taking seriously. After some bit roles in films like Man With The Iron Fists and Riddick, the former heavyweight champion reached acting stardom when he played Drax in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy.
Now, after a sequel and appearances in two Avengers films, Bautista is getting his own vehicles with actions comedies like Stuber and the upcoming My Spy. It looks like the star will be showing up in movies for the foreseeable future, and deservedly so.
2 FLOPPED: Goldberg
The biggest star of WCW made a few attempts at bringing his stardom to the silver screen but never quite found notable success. He had decent bit parts in The Longest Yard and Universal Soldier: The Return, neither of which led to anything major.
Goldberg's only notable lead role would be as a demonic killer Santa in the cult horror comedy Santa's Slay. While the role would be a fun and memorable one, it is far removed from what many would consider typical Hollywood success.
1 GREAT: The Rock
Arguably the biggest movie star on the planet is an obvious number one on the list. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson made himself into one of the biggest stars in wrestling during the WWE's Attitude Era and it was clear he was set for even bigger things. Before leaving wrestling to focus on films, Johnson did a number of bit parts on television shows, and of course, his infamous role as a scorpion centaur in the sequel to The Mummy.
Now, having retired from in-ring competition, Johnson is a blockbuster leading man, acting in multiple big budget films a year. Johnson's film career shows no signs of stopping anytime soon, and while that means he likely won't be in very many wrestling rings, pro wrestling fans still get to claim they had him first.