20 Wrestler Movie Roles, Ranked From Awesome to Terrible
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20. Andre the Giant, 'The Princess Bride'
Wrestlers are notorious for putting out sub-par movies when they step out of the squared circle. Sometimes it's not even their fault. But we decided to rank some of the most notable film roles that were made while these superstars were still professional wrestlers.
Based on the novel of the same name, The Princess Bride—voted one of the greatest comedies ever—stars Andre the Giant as Fezzik, a member of a trio of bandits out to kidnap Princess Buttercup. It's one of the most notable roles a wrestler has played in a film to date.
MetaScore: 77.
(Photo: 20th Century Fox)
19. Dave Bautista, 'Guardians of the Galaxy'
Bautista, who wrestled on and off from 2000 to 2014, has had an impressive post-wrestling acting career. While at the end of his WWE run, the former heavyweight champion starred in the 2014 Marvel flick Guardians of the Galaxy, where Bautista portrayed the muscle-bound Drax the Destroyer.
He'll reprise the role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in 2017.
MetaScore: 76.
(Photo: Disney)
18. John Cena, 'Trainwreck'
One of the biggest stars in WWE history, Cena took some time to film Amy Schumer's 2015 comedy Trainwreck. The 24-time champion starred as Steven, Amy's gym-addicted boyfriend, who gets his heart broken after she admits to cheating on him.
MetaScore: 75.
(Photo: Universal Pictures)
17. Kurt Angle, 'Warrior'
If you've seen 2011's Warrior then surely you've noticed a former Olympic gold medalist in one of the main fights. Angle—who has been a pro wrestler since 1998—played Russian MMA fighter, Koba, who narrowly lost by submission in the semi-final round.
MetaScore: 71.
(Photo: Lionsgate)
16. Hulk Hogan, 'Rocky III'
In the third movie in the franchise, Hulk Hogan made his feature film debut as Thunderlips, the boxing World Champion. Thunderlips and Rocky battle in a charity bout during the 1982 film.
Average critic score: 65.
(Photo: MGM/UA)
15. The Rock, 'The Rundown'
In this 2003 comedy, Johnson—a bounty hunter who loathes guns—travels to Brazil to find his boss’s son (Seann William Scott). The Washington Post praised Johnson for being a “gentleman … who puts you in a very easy place,” which is a little weird for an action movie.
MetaScore: 59.
(Photo: Universal Pictures)
14. Dave Bautista, 'Riddick'
While he's guarding the galaxy for Marvel, Bautista played a bad guy in the 2013 film Riddick. Bautista portrays Diaz, a mercenary hired to take down Vin Diesel's titular character.
Although he puts up a valiant fight, Diaz is soundly defeated.
MetaScore: 49.
(Photo: Universal Pictures)
T-12. Stone Cold Steve Austin, 'The Longest Yard'
In this remake of the 1974 film of the same name, former WWE superstar Stone Cold Steve Austin plays Officer Dunham. The Adam Sandler-led film also stars fellow wrestlers Goldberg and The Great Khali.
MetaScore: 48.
(Photo: Paramount Pictures)
T-12. The Rock, 'The Mummy Returns'
This sequel to The Mummy signified the first major movie part for The Rock. Although he appears in the film sparingly—including having his head digitally-fused to a giant scorpion’s body in the climactic finale—The People's Champion was so popular he starred in the prequel, The Scorpion King.
MetaScore: 48.
(Photo: Universal Pictures)
T-9. The Rock, 'The Scorpion King'
After his villainous turn in The Mummy Returns, Johnson took time off from the ring before filming this spin-off movie a year later. Sure, Film Threat called the movie "dumb," but it still praised Johnson's acting chops for being "entertaining."
MetaScore: 45.
(Photo: Universal Pictures)
T-9. Stone Cold Steve Austin, 'The Expendables'
In a film chocked full of action stars, Austin held his own against the likes of Sylvester Stallone, who he had an "intense" fight scene with. Austin, The Rock and Hulk Hogan are rumored to be starring in the fourth film in the franchise.
MetaScore: 45.
(Photo: Lionsgate)
T-9. John Cena, 'The Marine'
Following a WWE storyline where Cena was stabbed by Carlito's bodyguard, Cena took some off time to portray John Triton in this 2006 action film.
The movie was originally supposed to star Austin and Al Pacino, but both turned down their respective roles.
MetaScore: 45.
(Photo: 20th Century Fox)
8. The Rock, 'Walking Tall'
In his last film before departing for Hollywood for good, Johnson stars as Chris Vaughn, a former soldier who returns to his hometown. Despite starring Jackass's Johnny Knoxville, this isn't the worst Rock movie ever.
MetaScore: 44.
(Photo: MGM)
7. The Big Show, 'The Waterboy'
Paul Wight—known as the WWE's Big Show—was a showstopper in Adam Sandler's The Waterboy in 1998. Wight played Captain Insano, the favorite wrestler of Bobby Boucher.
MetaScore: 41.
(Photo: Buena Vista Pictures)
6. Sheamus, 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows'
In 2016, Sheamus lent his voice to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sequel, where the Irishman played Rocksteady. In a 2015 interview, former wrestler CM Punk revealed that he lost out on the villainous role to Sheamus.
MetaScore: 40.
(Photo: WWE/Paramount Pictures)
5. Triple H, 'Blade: Trinity'
In the third Blade in the saga, superstar wrestler Triple H plays Jarko Grimwood, a vampire henchman for the Talos brothers. Even though he's a formidable fighter, Grimwood has a soft spot for his vampire Pomeranian, Pac-Man.
MetaScore: 38.
(Photo: New Line Cinema)
T-3. Jesse Ventura, 'Predator'
While searching for men larger than life, the producers of Predator hired Jesse "The Body" Ventura to play Blain Cooper in this 1987 hit.
Ventura, who eventually became the Governor of Minnesota, starred in Predator with future California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
MetaScore: 36.
(Photo: 20th Century Fox)
T-3. The Big Show, 'Jingle All the Way'
You might not have recognized him with the festive hat and jolly white beard, but that Giant Santa is The Big Show. We can collectively thank Jingle All The Way for giving us the vaunted Big Show versus Terminator fight we've always wanted.
Average critics score: 36.
(Photo: 20th Century Fox)
2. Hulk Hogan, 'Mr. Nanny'
In this 1993 family "comedy," Hogan stars as Sean Armstrong, an ex-wrestler turned bodyguard turned nanny. The film received such lousy reviews that it earned a 7 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Average critics score: 21.
(Photo: New Line Cinema)
1. Kane, 'See No Evil'
It made sense for one-half of the Brothers of Destruction to star in this 2006 horror film.
In his feature film debut, Kane plays Jacob Goodnight, a reclusive psychopath seeking revenge from the man who put a bullet in his head four years ago.
MetaScore: 17.
(Photo: Lionsgate)