Professional wrestling fans have gotten a chance to see one of their own shoot to the top of the Hollywood world, as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has become one of the hottest leading men in Hollywood. Another former star from the same era of the WWE wants to make that move as well. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has just signed a two-picture deal with Anchor Bay Films, with the hopes of finally making the jump into theatrical starring roles.
Austin is no stranger to movies. Even before signing this new deal, Austin appeared in big budget films like “The Expendables” and “The Longest Yard,” but those were both in supporting roles. For his major starring roles, he has been relegated to straight-to-DVD movies, with “The Condemned” being the only one that has been a hit. This first movie in the new deal is for a movie called “Kill Em All, John,” where Austin plays a former hitman pulled back in to take out a number of major crime bosses.
Whether this will just be more straight-to-DVD movies or it will actually help Austin get to theaters is another story. Here is a look at other professional wrestlers that Austin can try to eclipse as his film career marches on.
Dwayne Johnson
Of course, the biggest star is The Rock. Johnson started out his Hollywood career with typical wrestler fare – action movies. After a stint in “The Mummy” sequel “The Scorpion King,” he took on roles that were fun, but might soon lead to the typecasting Austin is facing, with “The Rundown” and “Walking Tall.” However, when Johnson went for more Disney flavored family fare, he became a box office star. Now, he mixes his family friendly stuff with major action movies and remains the hottest former WWE star to ever make his way to Hollywood.
While never reaching the level of Johnson, Rowdy Roddy Piper has something else to his name. Piper starred in one of the greatest cult hits of them all with “They Live.” This John Carpenter movie has become a staple of the geek culture, referenced in many other movies and television shows, and is something that will always make Piper a star inside and outside the squared circle. His other movies, with titles like “Hell Comes to Frogtown,” are forgetful, but “They Live” will live forever.
Hulk Hogan starred in movies to help increase his wrestling persona. One of those movies, “No Holds Barred,” went on to actually play a role in the WWE as Hogan fought Zeus (Tiny Lister) from the movie in the WWE ring. While most of Hogan’s movies were critically blasted flops, he at least has “Rocky III” to hang his hat on as he played Thunderlips and fought Rocky Balboa in a boxer vs. wrestler match.
Andre the Giant
One of the most beloved wrestlers of all time is Andre the Giant, the gentle giant of a man. He did not have a big Hollywood career, but he did star in “The Princess Bride” as Fezzik. While this was his only really major movie role, it is iconic enough to make him memorable to people who never even saw him in the wrestling ring.
Jesse Ventura
Jesse “The Body” Ventura was one of the most flamboyant wrestlers in the WWE and went on to be an outspoken announcer. That made him a perfect fit in Hollywood for a short time. In his short career in movies, Ventura took on two very memorable roles. The first was as an announcer in the before-its-time reality themed “The Running Man.” The second was in “Predator,” a movie that boasts having two governors fighting side-by-side in Ventra and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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