10 Best Wrestlers Turned Actors

2. Dave Bautista (Batista)

Possibly the only wrestler in history to even come close to giving our number one a run for his money, “The Animal”, “Big Dave” Batista has come good on his promise to make it in Hollywood. 

The former Evolution stable-mate turned Guardian of the Galaxy has put together a strong run of appearances in the likes of the James Bond movie SPECTRE, and Blade Runner 2049, between his massive Marvel pay packets as Drax The Destroyer in Guardians 1 & 2, as well as Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame.

It’s a course that has crafted a new niche for Bautista that is different to the wrestlers turned actors that have come before him, with his Blade Runner 2049, Knock at the Cabin and Dune appearances in particular being a lot more serious and dramatic, and much less physical, than much of the work by most on this list. 

This 6-time WWE world champion is doing supremely well for himself, making for a figure wrestling fans around the world can look at with pride as one of their own.

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1. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

Transitioning from an all-time great wrestler to a megastar actor has never been an easy task, as illustrated by those in this list and the countless other names who’ve failed to make the transition over the years, but Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is proof that it can happen. 

Beginning his transition to the silver screen in his 30th year, The Rock took advantage of the soar in wrestling’s popularity at the turn of the century to become a fully-fledged celebrity and marketable commodity in of himself. He has been one of the most bankable talents in all of entertainment ever since.

Now a regular member of the 10 Highest-Paid Actors club, Dwayne was paid more money for film-related activities in 2018 than anyone else, making a reported $119million annual income. He also topped the list in 2016, finishing runner up to Mark Wahlberg in 2017 due to what was essentially a technicality (Wahlberg’s burger franchise). 

He has been the figurehead of a number of billion-dollar movies from the Fast & Furious franchise and headlined the $900million mega-hit Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, as well as the $780million hit sequel Jumanji: The Next Level. Johnson has even starred as a voice in a Walt Disney Animation – that being Moana – and opened new franchises like San Andreas and Rampage almost by himself. 

The world has bought into The Rock, and while his acting is not even close to the style usually considered for Oscars, he remains a first or 2nd row guest to the ceremony each year, an ever-present in film-centred discussion and one of the most recognisable members of Hollywood.. He has become a juggernaut of the industry, and one so huge that his every mention of wrestling on social media does wonders for the mainstream appeal of wrestling in general. 

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And that’s our list. Did we miss any wrestlers off that you have liked to see in films? Would you have ordered them differently? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to follow @thefilmagazine on Facebook and across social media for more insightful movie lists.

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