WWE Wrestlers and Their Best Performances in Films

Wrestlers and movies have continued to mix despite the parade of failures we've seen over the years.  With the Academy Awards around the corner, it seems fitting to sift through and find WWE wrestlers' best performances on the big screen.

Admittedly, some will earn their best performance nod simply by default, having not done a whole lot of movie work.

But there are some stars in our midst, charismatic and compelling.  They may just provide exciting fight scenes or surprise us with their emotional range.

I've not included wrestlers playing themselves.  So Jerry Lawler doesn't get points here for Man on the Moon, and all those folks in Ready to Rumble won't get credit, either.

Some videos contain NSFW language.

The Rock-Gridiron Gang

The Rock is easily the best wrestler-turned-actor of all time.

No one would have blamed him had he stuck to Scorpion King-type roles where he kicked butt and looked good, but he's chosen to experiment with comedies, sappy Disney films and a touching football movie in Gridiron Gang. 

He plays Sean Porter, an employee at a youth detention center who decides to start a football program and ends up changing kids' lives. 

The Great One displays great emotional range and gets the audience to tear up without overdoing corniness.  He made it difficult to put anyone else in that role.    

Honorable Mention: Fast Five, The Other Guys, Walking Tall

Hulk Hogan-Rocky III

As big a megastar as Hogan was in the '80s and '90s, you can't blame movie-makers for trying to translate that into box-office success.

Several ill-fated projects fill up Hogan's resume. 

Was it fair to expect him to succeed in such atrociously written films as Mr. Nanny, Suburban Commando and Santa with Muscles?

Though Hogan couldn't quite carry over his wrestling success to the big screen—it was his role in Rocky III that ultimately launched his wrestling career.

Playing a wrestler named Thunderlips, Hogan caught the world's attention.  There was something magnetic and larger than life about him, and his star power was clear in that ring opposite Sylvester Stallone. 

Triple H-Blade: Trinity

Warning: F-bombs are all over this video. 

WWE Studios has tried hard to push Triple H as a movie star. 

In The Chaperone and Inside Out, the Game gives it his all, but he is clearly not on the level of the Rock or even John Cena in terms of acting range.

Rewind to 2004 and the third Blade movie to find his best performance. 

In the vampire beat-em-up action flick, Triple H plays a vampire named Jarko Grimwood.  There's something about the sharpness of his face that makes it easy to believe that Triple H could be a vampire.

He's allowed to throw in some wrestling moves in his fight scenes as well.

Chris Jericho-Albino Farm

As funny and precocious as Chris Jericho is, it's a surprise that he was cast as a demented hillbilly in a horror movie.

But Jericho makes it work.

The gore fest is an odd place to showcase his skills, but Jericho maximizes his opportunities and is convincingly sleazy.

It's not the biggest part, but far longer than his blip in MacGruber. 

Even within the confines of this unimpressive film, Jericho makes it clear that he has the potential for true stardom. 

Kane-See No Evil

Casting Kane as a bloodthirsty psychopath was brilliant.

As nice of a guy as he may be in real life, Kane just looks evil. 

From his monstrous physique to those haunting eyes, he was born to star in horror movies. 

Though the film was clichéd and predictable, Kane more than carried his weight. 

His performance was chilling. 

There is certainly a future for the Big Red Machine in the world of the macabre. 

Jesse Ventura-Predator

Warning: The trailer is all kinds of loaded with dirty words. 

Ventura had fun with profanity for the sake of art.

The former Navy Seal needed no training in playing a special forces operative battling an alien monster. 

His turn as Blain Cooper rang true, and his brutish wisecracks are some of the most memorable parts of the movie. 

The Body had small roles in a number of movies, including Demolition Man, the Running Man and Major League II.   But he will be most associated with Blaine; slouch hat on his head and machine gun in his hands. 

Great Khali-Get Smart 0.l

The Great Khali's greatest skill is being large. 

As an evil henchman, his immense presence is utilized quite well. 

In this spy parody flick based on the television show of the same name, he lumbers along, being strong and disturbing looking. 

Khali had similar roles in The Longest Yard and MacGruber.  

Khali did what he was asked to do and is far better at being a movie villain than a wrestler. 

George Steele-Ed Wood

Playing a Swedish wrestler (Tor Johnson) who can't act isn't exactly Cate Blanchett playing Bob Dylan.

This Tim Burton film saw Johnny Depp play eccentric filmmaker Ed Wood Jr. and captured the bizarreness of both Wood's films and Wood's life. 

George “the Animal" is a perfect fit as Tor Johnson, both in looking the part and capturing its essence.

Steele's moments in the movie were some of its funniest. 

Goldberg-Universal Soldier: The Return

Surely Goldberg hoped for more success in Hollywood than he's had thus far. 

Like a lot of other wrestlers, he played a version of himself in Ready to Rumble and was also in the Longest Yard.  

He'd surely like us to forget about his turn as a demented Santa Claus in Santa’s Slay.

The role most suited for him has been in the Van Damme vehicle, Universal Soldier: The Return.  Goldberg played Romeo, a cybernetic super soldier. 

The role is similar to what Dolph Lundgren did in the original. 

Goldberg is asked to brawl and look cool holding big guns.  Both of those are right up his alley.

Kevin Nash-TMNT II: The Secret of the Ooze

Big Daddy Cool has played a number of strong guy characters, including "the Russian" in The Punisher and a prison guard in The Longest Yard. 

It's clear that movie producers want most to take advantage of his size. 

No other movie did just that any better than his first one. 

As the oozed-up Super Shredder, Nash terrorized the Ninja Turtles and destroyed a dock. 

The film will always be remembered for Vanilla Ice's contributions, but Nash played his part perfectly, scaring children and convincing other movie-makers to give him more roles.

Big Show-Waterboy

Big Show's gentle-giant charm didn't carry over to his first major role in Knucklehead. 

Hard to do great acting when every other scene is a fart joke, though.

It was in a minuscule role that Big Show has shined the brightest so far. 

He played Adam Sandler's wrestling idol, Captain Insano, in 1998's The Waterboy. 

Though his time on the screen is brief, Big Show's infectious laugh is memorable. 

Big Show has the potential to do big things in the movie world if given more screen time or better characters to play. 

Steve Austin-The Expendables

His WWE career shortened by injuries, Steve Austin has tried desperately to begin a second life as an action hero.

While he continues to get roles, they are often low-budget clunkers. 

The charisma he exhibited during his run as Stone Cold just doesn't translate to the screen. 

Austin plays one role extremely well, and until they make a Texas Rattlesnake movie, he will just be stiff and awkward in movies.

The Expendables has seen his best performance, primarily because he isn't asked to carry the movie.  Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li and Jason Statham do most of the work.  Austin just adds another badass to the mix. 

Ted DiBiase Jr.-The Marine 2

DiBiase's filmography currently has only one entry on it, the sequel to John Cena's The Marine.

The fact that DiBiase was the studio's second choice (Randy Orton being the first) isn't a great endorsement, and how much of the first movie is played in the trailer for the sequel is also worrisome.

I'll guess, though, that DiBiase did a decent job and likely better than Orton would have done.

Christopher Monfette in his review of the film on IGN.com, writes that DiBiase has "sufficient acting chops to carry the film."

Nathan Jones-The Protector (Tom-Yum-Goong)

Nathan Jones has made a career out of playing large bad guys who get involved in great fight scenes.

Some of his most notable work was in Troy, Fearless and the Conan the Barbarian remake.  

It's hard to distinguish his roles, but I went with The Protector because he has such a pivotal and awesome fight scene with Tony Jaa.

Jones isn't asked to act in The Protector—just fight. 

After a brief and un-noteworthy WWE career, it's great to see that Jones has found something he excels at. 

Randy Orton-That’s What I Am

Before breaking his collarbone, Randy Orton was supposed to star in The Marine 2. 

After seeing his robotic performance in That's What I Am, it's unlikely he'll ever be considered for another part. 

That's What I Am is not the fare you'd expect from WWE Studios. 

There are no guns and not fight scenes.  It's a coming age story set in the '60s. 

Orton plays Ed Freel, a homophobic, concerned parent.  It's a bad fit for him and doesn't take advantage of his physical skills. 

Even though he had a tiny part, some of his scenes were deleted. 

It's no mystery why.  He shows off none of his charisma, and his lines are read lifelessly.  He seems as uncomfortable on a movie set as he is comfortable in a wrestling ring.

Roddy Piper-They Live

John Carpenter wrote and directed this sci-fi/horror movie from 1988.

Aliens are hiding right out in the open, thanks to TV waves making them appear human. 

Only a special pair of sunglasses can reveal who they truly are.

A smart-mouthed bad-boy drifter with a gun happens to have a pair of those glasses.  Piper is a perfect fit—tough, snide and fun to watch. 

While he plays a similar character in another odd film, Hell Comes to Frogtown, he doesn't have a line as iconic as his famous They Live quip.

"I came here to kick ass and chew bubblegum.  And I'm all out of bubblegum."

John Cena-Legendary

WWE has been hoping that John Cena's popularity would eventually translate to making him a crossover star in the vein of the Rock.

As likable as he is, Cena doesn't have quite the presence of the Brahma Bull.

Still, he's managed to garner respect for his performances. 

For his role in Legendary in particular, he was nominated for the Nevada Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor. 

When critics bashed the movie, they mentioned Danny Glover's cheesy character and the tired, cliché script far more often than Cena's performance.

Playing Mike, a troubled former wrestler, he grabs hold of the audience and delivers a powerful and understated performance. 

Batista/Rob Van Dam-Wrong Side of Town

Warning: The trailer is all kinds of loaded with dirty words.  Not safe for work or for your young ones. 

The production value, performances and script all scream bargain-bin DVD. 

There's revenge, gunfights, a thrown-together plot. 

RVD plays a tough guy.  Batista plays a tough guy.

Ja Rule and Viscera aka Mabel make an appearances as well. 

Batista has a bigger role and is asked mostly to pound people's faces in.  Both he and Van Dam are uninspired as performers.

If you don't expect acting that's any better than what you see on SmackDown and Raw, you'll be pleased. 

Andre the Giant-The Princess Bride

One of the most beloved cult classics was made legendary by the perfect casting of Andre the Giant as a gentle giant named Fezzik. 

Andre owned the role. 

His size and grumbling voice are big parts of that, but like Fezzik, Andre has always oozed with charm. 

He's played a monster in The Greatest American Hero and Bigfoot in The Six Million Dollar Man, but the role of Fezzik is fused with him. 

You simply can't separate the character from the actor.