WWE showrunner Vince McMahon once had this to say about the WWE, known then as the WWF, “We are Hollywood. We’re entertainment, and that’s what the World Wrestling Federation is all about.” This is undoubtedly true given the amount of pro wrestlers that have worked their way into Hollywood and found success. They may not all be superstars, but there are any number of incredible performances to be found by the people that used to spar in the ring. The line between sports and entertainment has always been blurred by wrestlers. This list highlights the best of the best that have elevated their careers into Hollywood.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

5 Dwayne Johnson - Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)

     Sony Pictures Releasing

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is undoubtedly the most successful wrestler turned actor of all time. Almost every movie he makes rakes in hundreds of millions of dollars, and he’s been a household name for years now. The only thing keeping him from being higher on this list is the lack of variation in his roles. It’s easy for him to play the eyebrow-raising cool guy that saves the day, but he rarely stretches his acting muscles for his movies.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

This was not the case with his performance in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. He plays Spencer Gilpin, a young kid who is more used to using his brain than his muscles. When he and his friends find a video game copy of Jumanji, they’re all sucked into the game and given new avatars. It’s a completely different type of role for Johnson. He’s awkward, scared easily, and unsure of himself. Probably the three things that most people wouldn’t attribute to the actor. Luckily, he’s great in the film.

Dwayne Johnson proved that he can play different types of roles with this movie, and it’s his best performance so far.

4 Andre the Giant - The Princess Bride (1987)

     20th Century Studios

Andre the Giant was a character, in and out of the ring. There are so many incredible stories of him throughout the years, and that includes one that claimed he drank 156 beers in one sitting. Similarly, his role in The Princess Bride is just as memorable. The lovable and dangerous Fezzik seemed to have been written just for Andre. In a movie full of memorable quotes and unforgettable scenes, Andre the Giant delivered in all of them.

It’s not a particularly challenging role. The character of Fezzik doesn’t require a thespian, but it does require someone with a heart to match their brawn. Andre The Giant was the only man for the job. Sadly, he passed away at the age of 46 in 1993. This was one of his last roles, and one that fans will never forget.

3 Roddy Piper - They Live (1988)

     Universal Pictures

They Live is a classic John Carpenter movie that has spawned a cult following ever since it was released in 1988. It’s irreverent, exciting, and hilarious. As great as it was; it would all be lost without the fantastic performance by Roddy Piper, playing the too cool character of Nada. Nobody spits out catchphrases better than Roddy Piper, with the quotes from this movie going down as some all-time bests.

They Live may outwardly seem like a silly movie, but it has a lot to say about society and is still relevant to a lot of the problems we’re facing today. It’s essentially a criticism of class and conformity, and what Roddy Piper does so effectively is work as a catalyst for an actual message, while still looking cool and slinging catchphrases at a rapid fire rate. He works as a Trojan horse for audiences.

In the words of Roddy Piper’s Nada, “I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, but I’m all out of bubblegum”.

2 Dave Bautista - Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

     Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Dave Bautista has been finding a lot of work lately. He’s taken on films like Dune and Blade Runner: 2049, and has many projects in the pipeline. He’s still managing to appear in the occasional WWE special as well. Other than Dwayne Johnson, Bautista is easily finding the most success of all of these former wrestlers. The best is yet to come.

However, it’s his role as Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy that, for now, is his best role. He proved that he can easily be one of the funniest wrestler-turned-actors, but he also isn’t afraid to bring the chops when things get serious. Some of the most emotional moments in the MCU are brought together by Bautista. It’s because no matter how silly something Drax is doing, Bautista plays him with a lot of humanity and care. At his heart, Drax is a broken person who lost his wife and child. He may be naive in some ways, but he’s fiercely loyal to his newly-found family. Bautista has understood this from the start.

Bautista may be done with the role after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but audiences will not be quick to forget him.

1 John Cena - Peacemaker (2021-Present)

     HBO Max

John Cena has been in the game for a while. He started in 2006 with the mostly forgettable action movie, The Marine. He had a scattering of roles in the following years before departing from the WWE. He had memorable roles in 12 Rounds, Trainwreck and Bumblebee, but it wasn’t until he started working with James Gunn that he truly showed off his chops.

2021’s The Suicide Squad and the HBO Max follow-up series Peacemakerwork as Cena’s best performances to date. He’s funny, charming; but also a dark, complex character. Especially in the show, the character of Peacemaker really delved into it in a way that none of the wrestlers on this list have been able to do yet.

Peacemaker will go down as one of the best performances by a wrestler of all time. With how good all of these wrestler-turned-actors have been, it’s only a matter of time before we get another all-time great performance.