5 pro wrestling names that could become action movie stars

The world of professional wrestling and action films most definitely go hand-in-hand. The similarities are definitely endless, but maybe the larger-than-life characters and embodiments that the wrestlers showcase from week to week, town to town has something to do with it. But can wrestlers still make a believable action movie?

We’ve definitely seen it before. Hulk Hogan had a decent, although brief, a stint in Hollywood, and his best-performing movies were of course comedies. His action flicks were low-budget fare that did alright on DVD, or rather back then, video.

Then, of course, we had The Rock, or Dwayne Johnson, who among most wrestlers-turned-actors, has enjoyed the greatest success in Tinsel Town for sure. He is now the most successful, highest-earning leading man, and that’s saying a lot considering former heavyweights in the business like Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Sylvester Stallone are still heavily involved in Hollywood.

Of course, Steve Austin had a foray into Hollywood, and even though he made some great films, The Condemned, Damage, Hunt To Kill, The Expendables, being among my favorite, he decided to step away from the acting business.

Of course, Roddy Piper had a run in Hollywood as well, he is involved in what has become a cult classic and heavily heralded horror/sci-fi film in They Live.

And now John Cena seems to certainly be headed in the right direction, and if he keeps choosing his scripts well, he can probably enjoy a run similar to that of Dwayne Johnson’s, but only time will tell. He sure has the momentum going in his favor and the talent to boot. A few years back, it was rumored that he’d be playing the lead in Duke Nukem and I seriously hope that comes to fruition.

Other wrestlers who have acted include CM Punk, Shawn Michaels (who flexed quite the dramatic acting chops I never would have expected from him in 90 Feet From Home), The Miz, John Morrison and even Becky Lynch.

Today, we’ve decided to take a look at some other wrestlers that would make epic action stars and even had a little fun imagining what kind of features they could possibly make.

Damian Priest

I mentioned Sylvester Stallone earlier in this piece, and Priest reminds me of the cinematic legend in many ways. I totally see this man taking on throngs of evil military fieldsmen in some rainy jungle; Priest perhaps jumping out of streams holding and shooting a machine gun, jumping off of cliffs into trees, and even battling some giant henchman in a final fight scene.

He’s there physically, and as far as conviction is concerned, he’s got the “it” factor. Even on Raw, when he came to the aid of Humberto Carrillo recently, he was playing the hero, which is what I see him doing in Hollywood too.

Apollo Crews

He had a different angle before the Nigerian Prince character he’s playing now, and as far as playing this character, he’s proving that his acting chops aren’t at all bad, so for Crews, I definitely see him in action movie roles for sure, but perhaps in films that are a little higher in budget and a little more serious in scope.

He could play characters very much like the characters given to actors like Michael B. Jordan. And speaking of Jordan…maybe Crews is the perfect boxing villain for Adonis Creed to face in Creed 3.

Shotzi Blackheart

With a sudden resurgence in martial arts films like Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter and Tekken in the last decade or so, I most definitely see Shotzi in a martial arts geared film. Not any of those, though; perhaps something original for her.

In the nineties, martial arts films starring Jean-Claude Van Damme were extremely popular. I think Shotzi would be perfect in a role like Natasha Henstridge’s role in Maximum Risk (1996), which showcased very much the embodiment of the female lead in an action flick, who can kick some bad guys to the curb just as well as the leading man does.

Chavo Guerrero Jr.

Speaking of the nineties…who can forget Walker, Texas Ranger on CBS, starring Chuck Norris? To say that the show was epic would be an understatement. It has been revived now with Jared Padalecki, and is enjoying a revitalized run. I don’t want to say it’s watered down, because I respect Jared, but….

In the older show, Walker was a tougher, more put-together type of man, who dealt with criminals the way you’d deal with the trash you take out to the curb.

Chavo would have been the epic villain on that show; especially the way he carries himself nowadays in his role as the manager and advisor to Andrade El Idolo in AEW. I totally see him playing that sort of villain in a retro action flick.

Brian Cage

Just look at this man. He has hero written on his forehead. He’s got the body, the face and the conviction to pull off an epic action film. For Cage, I totally see him in a Predator-type setting.

Remember in the original Predator when Arnold is going one-on-one against the Predator himself for like the last half hour of that film or so? Well, I totally see Brian Cage doing that exact thing.

Then again, if they ever decide to remake Doom…maybe Cage would make the perfect Doom Slayer.