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Hollywood can provide opportunities for all sorts of people, even if their chief experience is in backbreakers and sidewalk slams. Pro-wrestlers have turned up in films for decades as extra bodies for fight or stunt sequences. If fans keep their eyes peeled, they can find legendary Texan wrestler Terry Funk in Over the Top or High Chief Peter Maivia in You Only Live Twice.
The High Chief’s grandson Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson made a name for himself as a leading man after electrifying WWE rings in the early 2000s. While his successor, John Cena, has been hot on his heels with Bumblebee and Peacemaker. But they’re not the only grapplers to make it into movies. Here are some great flicks featuring other famous pro-wrestlers.
10 Rocky III
Ironically, Hulk Hogan got fired from the then-WWF for his cameo as ‘Thunderlips,’ the wrestler Rocky takes on in a charity fight. Then-owner Vincent J. McMahon didn’t think wrestlers should cross over with entertainment. Yet the Hulkster’s appearance as a vain, self-confident heel grappler ironically aided his rise as a star.
More people found out who he was, started attending his matches elsewhere, and began cheering for him. The momentum was enough for him to return to the WWF, become their champion, and headline the first WrestleMania alongside fellow Rocky III villain Mr T. Maybe without this film, Hulkamania wouldn’t have run so wild.
9 The Princess Bride
Few films reach that level of fame where nearly all its dialogue gets quoted. But The Princess Bride managed that with its tale of a former stableboy trying to save his princess from an evil prince. It’s the one with Inigo Montoya (“…you killed my father, prepare to die!”), and the ROUS (“Rodents of Unusual Size? I don’t think they exist”). Its popularity is inconceivable!
The film also features the legendary Andre the Giant as Fezzik, the one-man brute squad with a gift for rhyme and manners. While he isn’t the most gifted actor, his performance is sweet and charming, whether he’s politely offering a peanut or taking on the Dread Pirate Roberts mantle to help his friends.
8 The Running Man
Predator is admittedly the better Arnold Schwarzenegger-Jesse Ventura combo film. Ventura’s role as Blaine is famous for his lines (“I ain’t got time to bleed”) and his minigun. However, his appearance in this Arnie-fied adaptation of Stephen King’s dystopian game show story is better at showcasing his charisma and why ‘The Body’ was so popular back in the day.
He plays Captain Freedom, one of the titular game show's ‘stalkers’- gladiators charged with stopping the contestants by any means necessary. He’s one of the film’s most entertaining characters, whether he’s cackling in his workout videos, trading barbs with the TV execs, or taking on Arnie hand-to-hand in combat.
7 They Live
Rowdy Roddy Piper was one of the first wrestlers to try and turn his promo and wrestling skills into a lead-actor career. It didn’t quite work in the long run, as he’d end up in Direct-to-Video fare like Hell Comes to Frogtown and Pro-Wrestlers Vs Zombies for the rest of his days. But his debut was so good that he couldn’t be blamed for trying.
John Carpenter’s They Live sees Piper’s homeless drifter ‘Nada’ find a pair of sunglasses. Once he puts them on, he discovers aliens are controlling people with subliminal messages on TV and through posters. It’s up to him to tell the terrestrials from the extra-terrestrials and spread the truth to the rest of humanity. The film caught on so well that it’s been referenced everywhere, from South Park to Saints Row 4, where Piper and actor Keith David re-enact the film as themselves.
6 Ed Wood
Ed Wood was the Tommy Wiseau of his day, with films like Plan 9 from Outer Space and Bride of the Monster being infamous B-movie stinkers. He was a more controversial character in real life than in Tim Burton’s biopic, yet his film captures Wood’s joyful ambition to be a filmmaker, even if he wasn’t very good at it.
The film had George ‘The Animal’ Steele as Tor Johnson, Wood’s go-to grappler when he needed an on-screen monster. Steele played a brute in the ring, so he was perfect for the similarly brutish Johnson. It’s also why his co-star Bill Murray sent him a weird congratulatory video message when he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1995.
5 Man on the Moon
Jim Carrey went to extreme lengths to portray the late comic actor Andy Kaufman in this film. It covers Kaufman’s most infamous acts, like trolling people as lounge singer Tony Clifton and being wrestling’s ‘Inter-Gender Champion of the World’ before being put in his place by Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler.
Lawler played himself in the film, re-enacting his most famous moments with Kaufman, like their explosive fight on Late Night with David Letterman. The film didn’t earn so well at the box office but gained an audience for its solid acting and storytelling. For a bonus, Lawler’s then-WWE commentary partner Jim ‘JR’ Ross makes a cameo in the film as a commentator.
4 Spider-Man
‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage never really appeared in leading man roles, yet he has had many supporting roles on TV shows. He can be heard in Space Ghost: Coast to Coast as Space Ghost’s wacky grandfather or as Gorilla in the ‘Bill, Bulk, and the Body Buddies’ episode of King of the Hill.
But his most famous appearance on film has to be as Bonesaw McGraw in the 2002 Spider-Man film, the wrestler Peter Parker uses his spider-powers on for a payday. While the film came out past Randy Savage’s peak, his crazy characters and lines caught on with viewers (“Hey freak show! You ain’t going nooowhere!”).
3 The Wrestler
Surprise! The film about pro-wrestling features real wrestlers! It followed Mickey Rourke’s Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson as he tried to repair his relationship with his estranged daughter while holding on to his meager fame as a once-renowned wrestler. His story was inspired by many wrestlers, but it closely aligns with the real-life story of Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts.
Former WCW star Ernest ‘The Cat’ Miller played ‘The Ayatollah,’ one of Randy’s opponents, but bigger wrestling fans can see a wide range of then-indie wrestlers playing themselves. There’s Necro Butcher, Claudio Castagnoli (formerly WWE’s Antonio Cesaro), Ron ‘R-Truth’ Killings, Nigel McGuinness, The Blue Meanie, and the late ‘Sweet & Sour’ Larry Sweeney, among others.
2 Bus 657
While Dave ‘The Animal’ Bautista (or ‘Batista’ in WWE) has rarely been a leading man in his films, he arguably has a better run of hits than either The Rock or John Cena currently. From Guardians of the Galaxy to Blade Runner 2049, Dune to Glass Onion, he has a wide range of critically acclaimed films under his belt.
One of his lesser-known roles was in Bus 657, aka Heist in some places. He plays the part of Jason Cox, the short-tempered colleague of Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Luke Vaughan, as they rob their boss’ casino. It’s a solid and enjoyable crime drama with plenty of intrigue and action. But it’s particularly notable for its odd cast, as it also brings together screen legend Robert De Niro and Saved by the Bell frontman Mark-Paul Gosselaar for the first time.
1 Chokeslam
Ever wished pro-wrestling had more romantic comedy in it? This 2017 Canadian film has dorky deli clerk Corey Swanson trying to help his old school sweetheart Sheena DeWilde end her wrestling career on a high with one last match. While it’s a little rough around the edges, it stood out compared to more typical romcoms, making it a hidden gem.
It also has a host of wrestlers in its cast. Mick Foley plays DeWilde’s old promoter Patrick; Chelsea Green (TNA’s Laurel Van Ness) performs as Sheena’s training partner Angel; Lance Storm quickly interjects his catchphrase (“If I can be serious for a minute…”) as Pit Stank; and the film’s mute villain is played by New Japan and Pro Wrestling NOAH grappler Harry Smith, son of ‘British Bulldog’ Davey Boy Smith.