WrestleMania XL is coming up Saturday, April 6, and this massive, two-night World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) event will prominently feature one of the most iconic WWE figures of all time, who has become even better known for his success on the big screen: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The Rock made his return to WWE on Jan. 1, 2024, and it didn't take long for speculation to begin that he would be Roman Reigns' opponent in Sunday's Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match. That storyline was ultimately scrapped in favor of Cody Rhodes getting a chance to end Reigns' reign Sunday, but Johnson will still feature prominently in Wrestlemania XL as part of a tag team match Saturday, in which Johnson and Reigns will take on Cody Rhodes and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins.
To celebrate Johnson's return to the WWE limelight, we're shining a spotlight on the success of his acting career and examining what makes the WWE such a great springboard for athletes-turned-actors, unlike other sports. Johnson's far from the only wrestler to thrive as an actor, as the likes of Dave Bautista, John Cena, Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant have also become household names.
The WWE Superstars of Film
Johnson tops the list when it comes to WWE box office stars, as he has starred in 27 films and counting, which have grossed more than $16 billion worldwide. The Rock is best known for his roles in the Fast and Furious and Jumanji franchises, though the soon-to-be 52-year-old has also starred in other notable movies such as DC's Black Adam, and he has even flexed his voice acting muscles in Moana. Even Johnson's return to WWE will have to share the stage with his acting career, as any potential future challenge from The Rock for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship belt will likely be put on hold over the summer while he films his latest box office venture: The Smashing Machine.
Other former WWE stars have a long way to go to catch up to Johnson when it comes to box office success, but a few are well on their way and have at least made it to B-list status. Dave Bautista won the WWE's World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 21 in 2005, but he has since become best known for his role as Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy and other related Marvel works. Bautista has also featured in Dune, Knock at the Cabin and Glass Onion within the last five years, showcasing an impressive acting range. Despite being older than Johnson at age 55, it feels like Bautista's just hitting his stride in the acting realm.
John Cena has experienced nearly unmatched WWE success, having held 16 world championship belts and coined the memorable catchphrase "You can't see me." Cena's box office success hasn't quite matched his accolades in the ring, but like Bautista, Cena's steadily climbing toward the top rope when it comes to the big screen. He supplanted the Rock as the main WWE presence in Fast and Furious 9 and 10, played a key role in The Suicide Squad in 2021, and even had a cameo in 2023 blockbuster "Barbie." Unfortunately for Cena, "Coyote vs. Acme," which was originally planned to be released in 2023, has been scrapped indefinitely by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Hulk Hogan is still thought of as a wrestler first and foremost, and he doesn't quite have Johnson's or Bautista's acting chops, but Hogan has nonetheless built up a hefty list of acting appearances, both in movies and television. Hogan frequently plays himself, but he showcased some versatility in the 1990s, starring in films including Suburban Commando, Mr. Nanny and Thunder in Paradise before capping the millennium with a 1999 cameo in Muppets from Space. Hogan's most notable acting role may have been his very first, when he played Thunderlips in Rocky III, back in 1982.
Andre Roussimoff, better known as Andre the Giant, left a lasting pop culture legacy despite a relatively modest filmography. The 7-foot-4, 520-pound Frenchman sadly passed away at age 46 in 1993, but he racked up a memorable career both inside and outside the ring before he passed. A wrestling career that began in 1964 included a 1984-91 stint with what was then the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), and Andre the Giant delivered one of the most recognizable acting performances by a wrestler as Fezzik the Giant in the 1987 film The Princess Bride. Andre the Giant was one of a kind, and his drinking feats were even more impressive than his accomplishments as a wrestler or actor.
Other Professional Athletes
The connection between wrestling and acting makes sense on its face, as WWE wrestling is scripted (Spoiler Alert) and thus has an explicit acting element typically absent from professional sports. Some of the biggest serial floppers in soccer and basketball, such as Marcus Smart and Trae Young, definitely incorporate some acting into their skill sets. Acting in movies is a much larger commitment than selling a flop or two per game, which is why the on-screen success of NBA stars such as Michael Jordan (Space Jam), LeBron James (Trainwreck and Space Jam 2), Shaquille O'Neal (Kazaam, Good Burger and Grown Ups 2) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Airplane!) has been fairly limited, at least when compared to the likes of The Rock or Bautista. Shaq seems to have the best acting chops of the basketball players given his omnipresence in commercials, but O'Neal seems too content with his current role as a studio analyst on Inside the NBA and owner of well over 100 fast-food franchises to dive as deep into acting as The Rock did.
NFL players have found even less big-screen success than their NBA brethren, even with the sitcom The League (2009-2015) centered on a fantasy football league serving as an easy gateway to television for NFL stars such as Antonio Gates, Jay Cutler and Marshawn Lynch. O.J. Simpson built up an impressive filmography after retiring from the NFL in 1979, most notably starring in all three installments of the Naked Gun trilogy, but NFL players aren't exactly lining up to follow in Simpson's footsteps.
One exception to the NFL's lack of acting star power is Terry Crews, who is less NFL player turned actor and more actor who found his calling after a cameo in the NFL. Even Crews is nowhere near the Rock's status, but the former Brooklyn Nine-Nine star has done quite well for himself, starring in White Chicks and Idiocracy in the 2000s and landing a coveted spot as the host of America's Got Talent in 2019. It's fair to say Crews' pivot to acting has worked out for him after he dressed for 32 games as a backup linebacker for the Rams, Chargers and Washington from 1991-1995.
