Professional wrestlers have a habit of trying their hand at acting. Over the years, there have been a huge number of muscle-bound stars dabbling with film and TV roles, with wildly varying degrees of success. Recent stars like Cody Rhodes have appeared in Arrow, while The Miz and Paige starred in Santa's Little Helper. We also have Stone Cold Steve Austin starring in swathes of direct-to-DVD action films, and even older stars like Jesse 'The Body Ventura' appeared in Predator and The Running Man in the 80s.
Given that pro-wrestling is a wonderful combination of physical storytelling, athleticism and character-based storylines, it no wonder so many of them have been bitten by the acting bug. Sometimes, it works out really well. But sometimes...not so much.
Here are the WORST offenders, ranked from 5 to 2...
5. Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan is probably the most famous professional wrestler of all time. If you ask most members of the general public to name a wrestler, chances are they'll think of the Hulkster first. Perhaps Hogan's movie career, which peaked in the late '80s/early '90s has something to do with this. He starred in such films as Rocky III, Suburban Commando and Mr Nanny. He was everywhere during this time period.
Sadly, pretty much every movie Hogan made was dreadful. And he was awful in them. And they tanked badly at the box office. Not even No Holds Barred, a wrestling movie made in conjunction with the WWF, could bring in much cash. It has something of a cult following now, but fans mostly love it in an ironic way. Hogan is a perfect example of how, sometimes, being a massive star in wrestling doesn't necessarily translate to other mediums.
4. Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho is a true multi-media superstar. He's one of the most successful wrestlers ever to lace up a pair of boots, and is still at the top of his game in WWE today. He's a rock star, who regularly tours with his metal band Fozzy. He is the host of the massively popular Talk Is Jericho podcast twice a week. Hell, he even appeared on Dancing With The Stars.
So why was his attempted acting career such a bust? It doesn't seem to add up, because Jericho is widely known for his charisma and ability to adapt to anything thrown at him. And yet? Android Apocalypse. Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!. Albino Farm (in which, hilariously, a mid-30's Jericho played a teenager). Ouch. At least his appearance in MacGruber was funny, but that's clutching at straws!
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