CM Punk and 15 Past and Present WWE Stars We Need to See in the Movies

Agree or disagree with this statement? Wrestlers are actors.

I gotta say, I’m somewhere between agreeing and disagreeing.

All wrestlers have to do some kind of acting, but a good portion of them look more lost than Keanu Reeves when trying to convey their emotions. Conversely, there are also plenty of wrestlers who could easily make the transition from the ring to your TV or movie screens.

The latter group consists of wrestlers who come across as genuine in everything they do. Nothing they do seems rehearsed or scripted, and often times, they’re incredibly skilled at being serious, crazy or downright hilarious.

No matter what their niche is, though, we can actually take them seriously as actors when they’re attempting to do just that, act.

So, let’s take a look at some wrestlers who wouldn’t make us laugh if they transitioned from wrestling to acting.

Here are 15 current and past WWE stars who we need to see on the big screen.

15. Wade Barrett

It’s been roughly a year and a half since Wade Barrett first graced our TV screens, but it didn’t take all that long for us to realize that he’s a very charismatic and gifted speaker.

There’s something about Barrett that makes him grasp the audience’s attention, and he carries himself as someone of utmost importance.

His roots as a bareknuckle fighter in England also make him someone who you wouldn’t want to mess with, a certified bada*s who could singlehandedly destroy anyone in his path much like Liam Neeson in Taken.

That’s precisely why I could picture Barrett taking over as the main character in one of the most popular movie series of all-time, which features a fellow suave Englishman. 

His Perfect Role: Daniel Craig's Replacement in the 007 series

14. William Regal

One of the most underrated overall performers in WWE history, William Regal can truly do it all.

He can wrestle, he can do commentary, he can cut promos, and he can play the role of the villain or the good guy.

When Regal does grab a mic, he’s one of those wrestlers who I really enjoy watching captivate an audience as he spews out some incredibly articulate promo.

It’s just something about those Englishmen, huh?

Anyway, Regal was at his finest in the WWE when winning the King of the Ring tournament in 2008, and it was pretty clear that he would make one heck of a king.

I could only imagine what Regal would be like if he ran an entire country.

His Perfect Role: The evil king (King William?) in a 16th-century British war epic

13. The Miz

In the mold of John Cena, The Miz is a wrestler who you either love or hate.

Whether you’re a Mizfit or Miz hater, however, it’s probably for this reason: The Miz can get under people’s skin better than almost anyone on the current WWE roster.

He simply comes across as a frat boy-type, who aggravates the living hell out of you because—for some unknown reason—he thinks he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.

The Miz would be the guy who chugged a beer, raised his hands up in the air and celebrated obnoxiously because he could do what any underage drinker could do.

His Perfect Role: The d-bag jock in a high school “comedy” who gets left by the most popular girl in school for the nerdy main character

12. Christian

Christian is one of my favorite wrestlers of all-time, not only for what he can do in the ring, but for how good of a performer he is no matter what type of character he’s playing.

He’s very likeable in his fan favorite role as “Captain Charisma,” but he’s also incredibly easy to hate in his current position as the cowardly heel.

Another thing about Christian, though, is that he’s waited his entire career to be at the top of the business, despite widespread belief that he’s a good guy, and thus, should have gotten there sooner.

That should give him great real-life experience to play the role of a protagonist who overcomes the odds.

His Perfect Role: Shane Falco in The Replacements

11. Alberto Del Rio

Alberto Del Rio has only been in the WWE for about a year now, but all it took was one episode of Smackdown for me to see that the guy oozes charisma.

From his snarky grin to his mannerisms to his gimmick as a wealthy aristocrat, everything about Del Rio screams that he would be a conceited prick in real life.

Undoubtedly, he’d be someone you’d never want to work for or even be associated with in any way, shape or form.

I could easily picture Del Rio working as the main villain in several different types of movies, and he’d be best suited as the head of a huge drug cartel, preferably in a movie similar to Man on Fire.

His Perfect Role: A Mexican drug lord 

10. Ted DiBiase

Ted DiBiase, Sr. came a little bit before my time, but from what I remember of him (and have gone back and watched), he was a great heel and a phenomenal talker.

After all, he wasn’t elected to the WWE Hall of Fame for no reason.

Obviously, the gimmick that got DiBiase over with the fans was as “The Million Dollar Man,” which means that he’d perform well as an incredibly wealthy antagonist.

One thing’s for sure, though: No matter what role DiBiase played, he’d definitely be a better actor than his son.

His Perfect Role: Donald Trump in a biopic about his life

9. Sunny

Hundreds upon hundreds of Divas have come and gone in the WWE, and the vast majority of them couldn’t act their way out of a wet paper bag.

But one of the most underrated Divas in that category was the WWE’s “Original Diva,” Tammy “Sunny” Sytch.

Unlike most Divas you see today, who appear to be nervous and unskilled actors, Sunny seemed very comfortable on camera and came across as a real natural.

She also had a friendly, approachable presence about her….and she was hot.

Sunny was one of my first wrestling crushes, and I can only imagine that millions of wrestling fans feel the same way.

Her Perfect Role: Stiffler’s mom in the American Pie series

8. The Iron Sheik

I was pretty young when The Iron Sheik was at the peak of his career, so most of what I know about the guy is based on his sporadic appearances on WWE TV in recent years and what I’ve read about him.

But the consensus seems to be that the guy was pretty much insane. Not clinically insane, just hilariously insane.

It seems like The Iron Sheik loved to ramble on and on for no reason, he generally came across as incoherent, and there weren’t many things that he wasn’t willing to say or do.

I don’t know about you, but when I think of the Iron Sheik, I smell a pretty funny comedic character.

His Perfect Role: A fellow stoner in a Cheech & Chong film

7. Mick Foley

Mick Foley has been around the wrestling business for quite a while, and he’s one of my favorite performers of all-time.

I loved the stuff that he did with The Rock as “Mankind,” and he also worked well in other roles, such as Cactus Jack, Dude Love and (his real name) Mick Foley.

He proved to be a “jack of all trades” so to speak, a versatile wrestler who probably would have had no shortage of work as a stuntman in Hollywood.

Foley also happens to be one of the smartest men in wrestling, which leads me to believe that he wouldn’t have as much trouble adjusting to acting as some others might.

If I had to pick a role for Foley, my options would be pretty wide open, because he can be both serious and funny.

His Perfect Role: The homeless guy in Big Daddy

6. Shawn Michaels

Often considered to be the greatest wrestler of all-time, Shawn Michaels is also one of the greatest performers in the history of the business.

Michaels, whether face or heel, had an uncanny ability to make an emotional connection with the crowd, and he seemed incredibly genuine whenever he was on the mic.

He wasn’t a one trick pony, though.

While HBK definitely was a great serious performer, he also had some of the best comedic timing we’ve ever seen.

Some of the stuff he did with D-Generation X—the first version, not the corny reincarnated one—was absolutely hilarious, and it was Michaels’ comedic skills that truly made the group what it was.

His Perfect Role: Ron Burgundy in Anchorman 

5. Santino Marella

Some may find Santino Marella to be over-the-top and a bit ridiculous, but I’d argue that his comedy only fails when the WWE writers fail him.

When the skits are well-written, Santino is one of the funniest performers in wrestling history and arguably the funniest wrestler currently in the business.

Look to his “Tea Time” segment with Sheamus as an example of how good Santino can be, even in the watered down PG era.

I’m still not sure why the kid-friendly WWE hasn’t used Santino in a WWE Films role, and it would be a waste not to center a film around Santino at some point in the future.

His Perfect Role: A WWE Films movie based on the Santino character

4. Edge

Edge already seems to have embarked on his post WWE-acting career, as he’s had a few starring roles on the SyFy show “Haven.

But forget TV. We need to see this guy on the big screen.

Edge did it all during his WWE career, from the unforgettable five-second poses to his “Ultimate Opportunist” heel persona to his fan friendly gimmick at the end of his WWE run.

The Edge I liked the most, however, was the psychotic, deranged one who had some of the best facial expressions we’ve ever seen.

Just go back and watch how Edge looked when lining up for the spear, and you’ll see that “The Rated R Superstar” could make quite the killer.

His Perfect Role: A serial killer or someone who’s possessed by the devil

3. CM Punk

CM Punk is currently on fire, and a lot of it has to do with the great match he put on with John Cena at Money in the Bank.

But the main reason why Punk is currently the hottest act in wrestling is because he’s the most believable one, too.

Whereas it’s easy to tell when most wrestlers are simply reciting lines, Punk tends to blur the line between storyline and reality.

He’s so genuine in everything he does—whether he’s heel or face—that the fans throw their support behind him and stay glued to his every word.

No current active wrestler can touch Punk right now.

His Perfect Role: The leader of a cult

2. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan

The greatest manager in WWE history? It’s probably Bobby “The Brain” Heenan.

If anyone could talk the talk, he could. And he could do it better than any other manager we’ve ever seen.

Heenan had the “it” factor, that instantaneous connection to the fans that always generated a reaction—whether good or bad—from them.

I’m not sure we’ll ever see another manager quite like Heenan come along anytime soon, so I’ve gotta get my fixing of “The Brain” somehow.

I wish I could see this man on the big screen, preferably in a comedic villain role.

His Perfect Role: Jack Nicholson's replacement in The Departed 

1. Chris Jericho

When Chris Jericho left the WWE last year, it left a huge void in the company.

Very few wrestlers in history have been as versatile as Chris Jericho, who can “be the best in the world at what I do” or “The Man of 1,004 holds” without losing so much as one fan.

When Jericho’s working as a heel, you want to punch him square in the jaw. When he’s working as a face, you can’t help but cheer for him or laugh until your stomach hurts at his comedy skits.

He simply has that knack for entertaining the fans no matter what character he’s playing, and as a result, I think most of us can agree that he’d make one damn good actor.

At the very least, any movie he was involved in would be much better than Mr. Nanny.

His Perfect Role: A much better Jack Black in The School of Rock