Analysis
WWE: Ranking the top 5 wrestlers-turned-actors in Hollywood
Wrestling is one of the most entertaining sports for the viewers. The modern adaptation of the same with some factors that can be catered to the viewers can be attributed to the Wrestling entertainment. Many such business companies have been formed in wrestling that do not just focus on the mere wrestling aspect of the game but have a lot of storylines involved that get connected to the audience.
Such acts are often praised by the fans. It involves a lot of thinking. The wrestlers in some of the top business companies like WWE and AEW are in huge demand. They are not just wrestlers and must be good enough as actors, as the character-building of the wrestlers is very crucial. It comes in handy for the wrestlers when they look for other career opportunities like some of them have opted to.
Here are the top 5 wrestlers in WWE who turned actors in Hollywood.
5. Adam Copeland
Adam Copeland (Source: X)
Adam Copeland is known by the ring name ‘Edge’ in WWE. The Superstar in the ring is a well-known actor from Canada. His career in WWE has lasted for 3 decades, which is great longevity. As a wrestler, Adam has won 31 championships. 11 of them were world titles. Copeland has also acted in some of the movies and web series.
In Syfy’s ‘Haven’, the star wrestler acted. Likewise, Copeland has played a key character in the History Channel’s ‘Vikings’. Edge has been in the ring back in AEW and continues to impress the wrestling fans with his work. He has also been featured in the web series of some of the shows of Disney plus Hotstar.
4. Randy Orton
Randy Orton (Source: X)
Randy Orton is known as Viper by his fans. The star wrestler has achieved almost everything in his wrestling career. The captivating persona on the wrestling ring has ebbed on to fellow wrestlers as well, who have learned a lot from him. Orton recently returned to the ring following his long injury of over 20 months. In the Survivor Series, Randy helped team Cody to beat Judgement Day and Drew McIntyre.
The Wrestling career of Orton is phenomenal. He has won 15 world titles, the joint second-highest for a wrestler. He was up to act in the movie named ‘The Marine 2’ but was replaced. However, the former world champion acted in other movies like ‘That’s What I am’, ’12 Rounds 2: Reloaded’, ‘Change Land’, ‘Long Shot’, and so on.
3. Dave Bautista
Dave Bautista (Source: X)
Dave Bautista is an accomplished wrestler in WWE. In the ruthless aggression era, Batista was one of the top wrestlers on the roster. In the 2010s, Batista was at his prime in WWE and won several titles. Batista was involved in several feuds that made news among the wrestling fraternity. Outside of wrestling, Batista has had a terrific career so far as an actor.
In many notable films, Batista has acted as an actor. In ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, Batista was featured in a role that gave him a breakthrough as an actor. Since then, Batista has featured in many movies. Some of them are ‘Spectre’, ‘Blade Runner 2049’, ‘Riddick’, and so on. He has some movies lined up to act in the upcoming days.
2. John Cena
John Cena (Source: X)
John Cena is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. The star wrestler has won 16 world titles in WWE till now, the joint most for a wrestler to date along with Ric Flair. When he was in his prime, Cena was highly popular in WWE. The former world champion grew in stature and became popular outside WWE as well. The producers tried to bank on the popularity of the star.
In the last 6 years, Cena has acted in many movies. Some of them have been in a lead role. In 2015, Cena made his debut in the movie named ‘Trainwreck’. Cena has also been a part of the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise, one of the biggest movie franchises in Hollywood. Cena has also acted in the movie named ‘Peacemaker’. The good thing for him is that there is a lot of improvement.
1. Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Johnson (Source: X)
Dwayne Johnson is without a doubt the most popular actor who has once been a wrestler. The star wrestler has been a successful actor in his illustrious career till now. His popularity grew in the WWE arena when he was involved in the feud against Stone Cold Steve Austin that formed a major part of his wrestling career. Particularly in the attitude era, The Rock gained immense popularity despite being a heel.
The Rock has won the world titles 10 times. He recently returned to Raw and took on Jinder Mahal. In Hollywood, Dwayne made his debut with the movie named ‘That ’70s Show’. He also acted in some of the top movies of the 2000s like ‘The Mummy Returns’, ‘The Scorpion King, ‘Doom’, and so on. He has also acted in other movies like ‘Jungle Cruise’, ‘Central Intelligence’, ‘Black Adam’, ‘Fast and Furious series, and others.