dwayne johnson He’s one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, but his acting start really came in ‘Pressing Catch,’ where he became one of the most popular wrestlers of all time. From there he made the leap to the cinema and a few years later he already carved out a privileged place for himself in the film industry that he never left again.
However, Johnson’s case is by no means the only one, as several wrestling stars have tried their luck on the big screen over the years and there are several that almost rival Johnson in popularity in the seventh art. Below you will find others eleven fighters from ‘Pressing Catch’ who made the leap to the cinema with unequal fortune.
André, the Giant
Unbeaten for years Andre the Giant He wasn’t especially prolific on the big screen, but everyone who has seen the excellent ‘The Princess Bride’ surely remembers a certain giant Vizzini henchman.
He himself was so satisfied with the film that he did not hesitate to force other people to see it. Beyond Rob Reiner’s film, his most notable film is ‘Mom to suit you‘ (Trading Mom), released posthumously, as André passed away on January 27, 1993.
dave bautista
One of the great stars of ‘Pressing Catch’ during the second half of the last decade decided to leave the company because he did not like the turn it was taking. The cinema did not take long to welcome him with open arms, first with secondary roles in titles such as ‘Riddick’ or ‘The man with the iron fists‘ (The Mand with the Iron Fists), but his popularity skyrocketed when he played Drax in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (Guardians of the Galaxy), a role that he will leave behind after the third installment of the saga.
hulk hogan
Hulk Hogan was a rising wrestling star when he rolled ‘rocky III‘, which caused a strong anger from the head of the company at that time. However, he ended up becoming one of the pop culture icons of the 80s, something that did not translate into a very stimulating film career.
It is true that ‘fight without limit‘ (No Holds Barred) was more or less well received, but titles like ‘suburban commando‘ either ‘What a Santa Claus‘ (Santa with Muscles) annihilated any chance of becoming a movie star, hitting rock bottom for good with ‘3 ninjas in the amusement park‘ (3 Ninjas: High Noon At Mega Mountain)
Jesse Ventura
Former Marine, Jesse Ventura He enjoyed some popularity in the early 1980s as a tag team wrestler, but health problems forced him to retire. Of course, he could not have had a better film debut, since his first film was ‘Predator’ (Predator), forging a good friendship with arnold schwarzeneggersomething that would allow him to collaborate with him again on titles such as ‘Pursued‘ (The Running Man) or ‘batman and robin‘. We have also been able to see him in small roles in other films known as ‘Ricochet‘ or ‘Demolition Man’.
John Cena
For ten years he was WWE’s number 1 wrestler and he still has some rope left for a while. Less luck he had trying to become a movie star, since he so much ‘extreme chase‘ (The Marine) and ’12 Trampas’ (12 Rounds) were not successful enough to make movies regularly. His career on the big screen would not launch until years later, rising as the best successor to Dwayne Johnson in Hollywood, and the only pity is that we will still have to wait a long time to see him in season 2 of ‘The Peacemaker’.
John Morrison
A very colorful fighter who never finished exploding and who decided to take a break that looks like it will be definitive -yes, he has worked for another company since then-. In his case, he has become a regular face of very low-level action titles, leading the cast of the worst-than-horrible version of Asylum of ‘Hercules‘.
The curious thing about the subject is that one of the things that criticized him the most was his inability to act in the ring, something that I already tell you has not improved -in any case to the contrary- in his films.
Kevin Nash
Holder of the longest reign of the 90s in WWE as world champion, Kevin Nash He has an interesting secondary career behind him with appearances in films such as ‘The Punisher’, ‘John Wick’ or ‘DOA: Dead or Alive‘, but we have to go back to 1991 to find his first movie role as Super Shredder in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Green Snots‘ (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze).
Roddy Piper
One of the most beloved villains by the public in the mid-eighties, although later he would also be very popular as part of the good guys. In the cinema, he has shot countless films and continues to work regularly -in 2015 alone he is scheduled to release five different feature films-, but none of them comes remotely close to his notable collaboration with john carpenter in ‘Están Vivos’ (They Live).
Steve Austin
The great star of the ‘Pressing Catch’ during the late 90s and the main person responsible for keeping the company afloat in its weakest moments.
There are many who argue about whether he or The Rock is the best, a debate that does not apply in relation to his career on the big screen, where his most memorable role was giving life to one of the villains of ‘The Expendables’ ( The Expendables), generally being seen in titles released directly in the domestic market, since the public did not show great interest at the time for ‘The island of the condemned‘ (The Condemned), a discreet variant of ‘Battle Royale’ and ‘Persecuted’.
Triple H
Probably the most hated fighter during the first years of the last decade, which earned him, among other things, a role as a villain in ‘Blade: Trinity‘. However, her commitment to WWE, where she already occupies an important position when it comes to making decisions, has meant that her subsequent interest in the cinema has been limited to participating in a couple of titles of little relevance -me I only got to see the deficient’The Chaperone‘- produced by the company itself.
Mercedes Moné
Known during her time at WEE under the name of Sasha Banks, Moné has also enjoyed some popularity thanks to his participation in ‘The Mandalorian’ giving life to the character of Koska Reeves. It’s not that she’s had much of a presence, but it’s a good first step to start making a name for herself in Hollywood.
The eleven cases discussed are not the only ones, since for example Randy Savage was the fighter he was up against Toby Maguire at the beginning of ‘Spider-Man’, while kane turned into a fearsome psychopath in ‘evil eyes‘ (See No Evil) and its sequel, while lenny montanawhom I have left out for being a professional wrestler in times when the ‘Pressing Catch’ was far from what it ended up being, decided to retire from the ring after being signed by Francis Ford Coppola to play Luca Brasi in ‘The Godfather‘ (The Godfather).
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