Why Does Wrestling Produce Some Of The Biggest Movie Stars?

Could having a natural ability for performing, a pre-existing "star" persona and immense physicality explain why popular wrestlers like "The Rock" and John Cena become big action stars?

Dave Bautista in 'Guardians of the Galaxy' (CREDIT: Disney/Marvel)

                     by Jack Linsdell

For decades, Hollywood has been turning popular sports stars like body builders, martial arts champions and wrestlers into A-list action movie stars. Arnold Schwarzenegger became the definitive action star of the 1990s, with reoccurring leading roles in big-budget, James Cameron-directed flicks (The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day and True Lies) and Joel Silver-produced actioners (Commando, Predator). Jean Claude Van Damme went from prestigious karate and kickboxing champion to the definitive "star" of the martial arts movie with Bloodsport, Kick Boxer and Street Fighter. And, recently, the likes of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dave Bautista and John Cena have gone from popular WWE wrestlers to some of biggest blockbuster movie stars on the planet. So, what makes wrestlers (and other prestigious sports athletes) such viable and successful candidates for action movie stardom?

Well...the most obvious answer has to be their immense physicality and "heavy set" appearance. I'm not saying wrestlers are sex symbols or anything but clearly their macho build makes them "attractive" movie stars to those so inclined. But, beyond that, when we're talking about headlining action-oriented films, you want someone who looks like a they can handle themselves. Dave Bautista's biggest roles in blockbusters like Marvel's Guardians of The Galaxy movies as Drax, EON's 007 flick Spectre as henchman Mr Hinx and Warner Bros.' sci-fi epics Blade Runner 2049 and Dune have partly come about because he "looks" like a force to be reckoned with. When playing henchmen, villains or even ultra-skilled assassins, audiences are certainly guaranteed to be more intimidated by the likes of Bautista than (for example) Robert Pattinson. Added to that, action flicks require lots of in-camera stuntwork, which makes wrestlers uniquely placed to handle things like fight choreography with greater ease or ability than those that are "just actors". That's not to say that the likes of Daniel Craig and Matt Damon can't train hard and pull of gruelling stunts themselves, but you get the point. 

However, the advantages of physicality and a "strong" appearance when becoming the "next action star" aren't unique to wrestlers. Other athletes who've successfully made the transition like Sylvester Stallone and Schwarzenegger (both former bodybuilders) have shared that advantage too. Heck, van Damme became a movie star BECAUSE OF his background in martial arts and his very unique physicality and movement that allowed him to successfully pull off some very technically challenging fight scenes. But, it's certainly a core part of why so many wrestlers (and other athletes for that matter) have become beloved action stars. 

One thing that wrestlers do have that sets them apart from other "athletes turned movie stars" is a pre-existing "star" persona. The best way to explain wrestling to those that don't know is to recommend watching Stephen Merchant's superb 2019 comedy Fighting With My Family. As that flick will show you, wrestlers (and their teams) put a lot of work into crafting unique and engaging "star" personas, so they can win over the crowd match after match. For example think of Big Daddy back in the day. For long term survival in the sport, they must have strong and well-liked "star" personas to win over audiences and gain fans. Therefore, when wrestlers enter the world of film, they bring with them a dedicated and pre-existing fan base and a whole team and wealth of experience in maintaining that persona.

Dwayne Johnson was one of the biggest wrestling "stars" of the modern age, with a distinct brand, image and loyal fanbase. Known as "The Rock", he successfully kept (and expanded upon) his wresting persona to become Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson - the movie star. To begin with, he was an important "added value element" in mid-budget, action-oriented flicks with supporting roles in the likes of The Mummy Returns ($435 million on a $98 million budget), Get Smart ($230 million/$80 million) and The Other Guys ($170 million/$90 million). By 2020, he sits top of Forbes' highest paid actors in 2019 list and has a foot as leading star and producer in some of the biggest action blockbusters ever made. He's been front and centre of the Fast & Furious series since Fast Five in 2011 (when the franchise started earning blockbuster-level numbers) and the leading "star" of Sony's very successful Jumanji sequels. He's also led a series of original and IP driven studio blockbusters like San Andreas, Central Intelligence and Rampage to huge box office success. Being a "star" of the wrestling ring isn't much different to being a "movie star", especially when dealing with four-quadrant, action-centric blockbusters, which is why "The Rock" has achieved such a feat. 

Finally, wrestlers have the unique advantage of coming from a sport that is very performance-driven. Wrestling gets branded as a "fake" sport, but that is a big misconception. Sure, it's staged and often the results are pre-determined. But, wrestling is all about the performance and keeping the crowd entertained and engaged, rather than out-and-out competition. So, it's no surprise that these modern day wrestlers that have turned themselves into big "movie stars" have a greater longevity and/or diversity when it comes to a choice of roles and projects. Sure, John Cena has had key roles in more conventional action blockbusters like Bumblebee and the upcoming The Suicide Squad and F9. But, he's also shown a great diversity to take on roles in smaller films that contain little to no action or "macho" elements. He has proven his skills at comedy and family drama with Kay Cannon's exceptional Blockers, Nickelodeon's Playing With Fire and Jason Moore's Sisters. The fact that wrestlers come from a performance background is probably why Cena is making a range of movies in many genres whilst Schwarzenegger is stuck making sequels to action franchises (Terminator Genisys, Dark Fate and Expendables 3) or gritty and violent originals like David Ayer's superb Sabotage. 

So, there is something about athletes, specifically wrestlers, that makes them popular movie stars, particularly figureheads of the action genre. They bring a believability to stunt work and action scenes due to their immense physicality and "strong" appearance. However, they also come with an existing "star" persona and loyal fanbase, not to mention a background in performance, which allows them to have longer, broader and higher-reaching careers than other athletes that have successfully made the transition to "movie star". But, the modern wave of "wrestlers turned movie stars" have reached new highs than those like Jesse Ventura in the 1980s by becoming more than just action stars. They've become some of the highest-paid actors in some of the biggest franchises around. 

Sure, drama school may train the next generation of Ralph Fiennes' and Kate Winslets. But, it's clearly the wrestling ring that makes the "stars" of the biggest blockbusters and action flicks.