4 forgotten wrestlers who appeared in Hollywood movies

WWE and pro wrestling stars are most often known for their work inside the ring, but for several reasons, many people who tried to succeed in the ring failed. However some of them found success in Hollywood, but the great majority of them vanished into darkness.

Over the years, several pro wrestlers have landed roles in films. While some of them had great success as wrestlers, others had little notoriety. Today, we present four such stars who struggled in the wrestling ring but landed a role in Hollywood.

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#4 Nathan Jones was an unsuccessful WWE prospect

Nathan Jones in Troy.

Nathan Jones, a wildly unsuccessful prospect, had the potential to be a big wrestling star, given his size and character. He competed in WWE for a few years before finally leaving the company in 2003. He may have appeared intimidating, but that did not make up for his obvious lack of in-ring skills.

Jones turned to Hollywood after giving up wrestling. Jones was able to relaunch himself as an actor, and given his great physique, undoubtedly made him stand out from the competition. Jones has performed in a variety of films throughout the years, with Boagrius in Brad Pitt's blockbuster Troy serving as his most notable performance. However, he never achieved stardom.

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#3 Tyler Mane

Tyler Mane as Sabretooth.

Although Tyler Mane isn't well-known among fans of professional wrestling, he did spend a brief period with WCW when he was just getting started.

Following his retirement from wrestling, Mane enjoyed a successful career as an actor. Due to his formidable stature, he has frequently portrayed roles that require frightening physiques, such as Sabretooth in the X-Men series. Along with his several other cinematic roles, he also played Ajax in Troy.

In the 2007 Halloween adaptation, Mane received a significantly bigger role. He only appeared in two of the series' films, both of which received negative reviews.

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#2 Robert Swenson

Robert Swenson as Bane.

Despite never appearing in WWE, Robert Swenson wrestled as Jeep Swenson for the WCCW, where he had a low level of success. His time while wrestling is not well documented; however, he did engage in a feud with Bruiser Brody.

After his wrestling career hit a snag, Swenson started to expand into Hollywood. It seemed inevitable that a man with such big biceps would land a role in an action movie.

Swenson received a major role in Batman and Robin. Unfortunately for him, he played Bane in the ill-fated movie, and while little was anticipated of him in the role, his presence contributed significantly to the film's widespread dislike.

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#1 Paul London

Paul London in Killer Competition.

Paul London was well-known for being the longest-reigning WWE Tag Team Champion alongside Brian Kendrick until the New Day broke the record in 2016. He shared the championships with Kendrick for 331 days.

London moved to the big screen after leaving the world of professional wrestling, but so far in his brief acting career, he hasn't received a prominent role. He did, however, unexpectedly appear as a police officer in the 2020 film Killer Competition.