Acting and professional wrestling have a lot more similarities than you might think. There’s the level of performance involved, the showmanship and the years required to perfect the craft on smaller stages before finding global recognition and, of course, the fame and glory. It comes as no surprise, then, that a lot of names have tried to make the jump from the squared circle to the silver screen, experiencing varying degrees of success.
As the most famous wrestler on the planet for well over a decade, Hulk Hogan must have thought the transition would have been easy, but all of his movies were terrible. Steve Austin, meanwhile, attempted something similar a decade later, but quickly found himself in bargain bin action territory. In a strange turn of events, though, three of the most decorated grapplers of the 21st Century are all making a big splash in Hollywood at the moment.
Dwayne Johnson is the most popular movie star in the world right now, John Cena is starting to turn heads and will enjoy his biggest year ever in 2021 when Fast & Furious 9 and The Suicide Squad arrive within months of each other, and Dave Bautista is by far the most interesting. He may be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and has starred in his fair share of drivel, but he’s always seeking to challenge himself as an actor.
In fact, in a recent interview, he was asked for his opinions on former in-ring adversaries Johnson and Cena, and he wasn’t shy about letting it be known that he doesn’t rate either of them particularly highly.
“There is something about The Rock that’s really special. I’d never take that away from him. Would I consider him a great actor? F**k no. The Rock and John Cena are wrestlers who became movie stars. I’m something else. I was a wrestler. Now, I’m an actor.”
In Dave Bautista‘s defense, he’s got a point. Dwayne Johnson basically plays the same character over and over again, while Cena looks to be following a similar path. The Guardians of the Galaxy star, meanwhile, is always testing himself in the likes of Bushwick, Blade Runner 2049, Hotel Artemis and Dune, and is quietly building a reputation as a reliable character actor despite his massive frame.
