PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

 
 

THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MOVIE PROJECTS WITH WRESTLERS

By Kendall Jenkins on 2024-10-17 07:44:00

As we know, this summer, one of the most famous wrestlers of the generation, John Cena, announced that he will end his appearances after WrestleMania in 2025. The 16-time world champion said he will continue participating in Monday Night Raw when it airs on Netflix. This symbolically indicates that John got everything he wanted in the sport. He built a springboard for his media and movie career and is now reaping the rewards. His success story can easily be taught in universities as an example of successful management advertising and self-selling as a character that people love. One can also do research papers on marketing or advertising based on one's career. Suppose you ask to write my research paper from professional writers. In that case, you will get an even more accurate and detailed paper revealing how successful media and financial investments can bring tangible results. 

Remembering John Cena's fantastic career, we want to remember other wrestlers who, thanks to his charisma and bright performances in the ring, made their way to the TV screens and became both wrestling stars and Hollywood celebrities. Such cases are not so few because wrestling and modern cinema combine entertainment, emotion, and energetic shows. Let's look at the most successful examples of wrestlers making a career on the big screen.

The Great and Horrible Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

By building a career in wrestling and later becoming the highest-paid actor in Hollywood, The Rock set an example for all wrestlers that anything can be achieved with the proper charisma, perseverance, and luck. After his successful career in WWE, where he became one of the most recognizable faces in the industry, he landed a supporting role in the blockbuster The Mummy Returns. The role of the Scorpion King began his journey to truly reign at the top of Hollywood Olympus. After some not-quite-successful movies, Dwayne fired his entire team of agents and managers. He recruited new professionals with whom he eventually achieved participation in a series of films, "Fast and Furious," where his character Hobbs first became part of the "family" and later received his solo movie in the franchise's timeline.

For example, "Fast and Furious 7" grossed more than $1.5 billion worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing films in history.

The Formidable and Dramatic Dave Batista

Another successful example is the actor Dave Batista, who formerly worked in WWE and then continued with movies. Unlike Johnson, Batista has stressed more diverse roles and genres. The leading role of Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy brought him worldwide popularity and love; despite his enormous size, he showed his character to be empathetic and fierce. His character's story made the audience love the big brutal guy even more; his comic lines made the character more memorable. All this finally and firmly set Dave Batista in Hollywood. Offers to star in different movies were not in short supply. However, Batista did not confine himself to comedies and action movies. His participation in such projects as Blade Runner 2049 and Dune proved that wrestlers can play dramatic characters with seriousness. Batista has been outspoken about his plans to become more than an action movie star, and his career is the perfect testament to the fact that he is well on his way. In Blade Runner 2049, he had only a small appearance. Yet, it was very memorable, and he developed quite an interesting actor's portfolio.

Surprised and Comical John Cena

Being one of the most famous wrestlers in WWE, John Cena managed to find his niche in Hollywood. In contrast with his peers, Sina relied on comedic roles, which showed him possessing unusual talent. Still, similar to the Rock, he managed to hitch a ride in one of the most famous franchises and got a role in "Fast and Furious 9". Adding to this, his stellar performance in the sequel to "Suicide Squad" brought a personal TV series in his name, entitled "The Peacemaker," which gained huge success.

Another one could be his role in the Transformers franchise and his association with the movie Bumblebee, which received extremely good reviews. 

Wrestlers in Iconic Movies of the 80s and 90s

There were pioneers long before the deluge of wrestlers onto the big screen in the 21st-century box office. One such was Roddy Piper, who starred in John Carpenter's cult classic They Live. The movie was noted for its original combination of science fiction and social commentary, and Piper proved to be a very capable actor for his role.

Another example is Hulk Hogan, who became an icon in wrestling and movies in the 80s and 90s. Movies like "Mr. Nanny" and "Santa with Muscles" made him a favorite among children's audiences. And the series "Thunder in Paradise" became iconic years later on. Hogan, though not a professional actor, could make a name for himself in the cinematographic field, being charismatic and having a picture easily remembered. You can do your own sort of researchpaperwriter review and find out how many wrestlers participated in the shooting of popular films. 

The Influence of Wrestling on Fight Scenes in Movies

Wrestlers transitioning into movies bring with them both acting skills and unique physical abilities that make them ideal for action scenes. Their training in the ring helps create realistic and spectacular fight scenes and stunts. And the trademark eyebrow gaze from Dwayne Johnson, in general, has become a separate thing and an expected element in every movie with his participation. In particular, in Jumanji, a whole plot hook was built on it. 

Conclusion

Now, world wrestling stars are mostly known only among fans, but thanks to personalities like Hulk Hogan, Dwayne Johnson, and John Cena, we can see that nothing is impossible. In the near future, we will likely see a new movie star who started his career acting in the ring. 

 

 

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!