Yahoo News WWE stars turned actors: The wrestlers who switched the ring for Hollywood fame
From John Cena to Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, there are several wrestlers to appear on screen
The wrestling ring may not seem like the place for a person to develop a blossoming acting career, but several WWE stars have gone on to become actors in their own right.
Some have had more successful transitions than others, with feuds arising between some wrestling stars that have led to harsh words being said. One such example is John Cena, who in 2011 publicly decried Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson for deciding to move into acting.
Read more: John Cena recalls 'a lot of bad vibes' between himself and Dwayne Johnson
Cena has since made the same jump to Hollywood, and recently apologised to Johnson for his comments during a press conference for WWE’s 2023 Fastlane event.
The Peacemaker star explained: "I went about it the wrong way. I violated his trust and I made allegations about his perspective that I knew nothing about."
Johnson and Cena are not the first and by no means the last wrestlers to make a career change, so Yahoo UK is looking back at all the WWE stars to take on the new challenge.
Dwayne Johnson
How many films has he made? 44 movies
Box office: Johnson's films have earned over $5bn worldwide.
Highest grossing film: Furious 7 with over $1.5bn.
The most iconic wrestler-turned-actor is without a doubt Johnson, he made his wrestling debut in 1996 and went on to have a successful career in the business before moving into acting.
He first began acting in 2001's The Mummy Returns and made his leading man debut in The Scorpion King, he has since gone on to (mostly) dominate the box office.
Over the past two decades, Johnson has appeared in a number of successful film franchises like the Fast and Furious films and the Jumanji reboot film series.
Johnson has also starred in Disney's blockbuster hit Moana, the animated film is set to be given the live-action reboot treatment and he will reprise the role. His early years even inspired a series titled Young Rock, which ran for three seasons.
The actor has had some highs and lows over the years, his debut into the DCEU as Black Adam did not go as well as had been hoped, for example, and was described as a "box office bomb" though it did eventually manage to make a profit.
John Cena
How many films has he made? 29 films.
Box office: Cena's films have earned over $4bn worldwide.
Highest grossing film: Bumblebee with $467m.
John Cena may have made comments about Johnson's pivot into acting, but the wrestler made the same decision in 2006 and he has gone on to become another influential figure in the entertainment industry.
The wrestler began his career in 1999 but chose to make the move into acting in 2006 when he starred in the WWE Studios film The Marine. It appears from there Cena caught the acting bug as he has been starring in film and television ever since.
Cena also appeared in the Fast and Furious franchise, in which he plays Dom Torretto's brother Jakob, and he has gone on to star in Bumblebee and The Suicide Squad. He has also shown his comedic side in hits like Blockers and Vacation Friends.
The actor's starring role as Peacemaker in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad led to a spin-off being released based on the character for HBO, which has been renewed for a second season.
Dave Bautista
How many films has he made? 22 films.
Box office: Bautista's films have earned over $9bn at the box office.
Highest grossing film: Avengers: Endgame with $2.7bn.
Dave Bautista began his wrestling career in 1999 and joined the WWE in 2002, he went on to appear in the ring until 2019 before deciding to become an actor. He also trained as a Mixed Martial Arts fighter.
He made his acting debut in 2006's Smallville, where he starred as an alien named Aldar and he was credited with his WWE moniker Batista. He later began acting under his real name from 2012 film The Man with the Iron Fists.
Bautista found stardom when he appeared in Gunn's Marvel film The Guardians of the Galaxy as Drax the Destroyer, a fan favourite of the film franchise and a role that proved Bautista could pull off both comedy and drama onscreen.
Since then Bautista has appeared in films like Army of the Dead, the Guardians of the Galaxy sequels, and also Blade Runner: 2049.
Hulk Hogan
How many films has he made? 12 films.
Box office: Hogan's films have earned $431m worldwide.
Highest grossing film: Gnomeo and Juliet with $193m.
Hulk Hogan is one of the most iconic wrestlers in the WWE, and he even inspired Cena to make a career in the sport and became a celebrity in his own right thanks to the popularity of Hulkamania.
Though he's still best known as a wrestler, Hulk Hogan has starred in a number of films over the years including a memorable appearance in Rocky III where he played Thunderlips.
Steve Austin
How many films has he made? 8 films.
Box office: Austin's films have earned $714m.
Highest grossing film: The Expendables with $268m worldwide.
Steve Austin, better known as Stone Cold Steve Austin, is like Hulk Hogan in that he is predominantly known for his role as a wrestler but he has appeared in a number of films including The Expendables, The Longest Yard and Grown Ups 2.
Kevin Nash
How many films has he made? 8 films.
Box office: Nash's films have earned $465m worldwide.
Highest grossing film: The Longest Yard with $191m worldwide.
Kevin Nash began his career in wrestling career in 1990 and he went on to join the WWE in 1993 where he was given the nickname "Big Sexy". The athlete moved into acting in 1991 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze.
Nash has gone on to appear in films like The Longest Yard, Magic Mike and its sequels Magic Mike XXL and Magic Mike: The Last Dance, as well as the first John Wick film.
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