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Fans have seen many WWE Superstars turn into actors over the years. Hollywood has pulled some of the biggest names in sports entertainment to star on the silver screen and find a way to connect with a wider audience with their work.
Fans recently saw Becky Lynch, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins enter the acting business and are yet to make it big in the industry. Meanwhile, there are several current and former WWE Superstars who are doing a great job in the business.
Fans are already aware that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Cena, and Batista starred in a few big films this year. Meanwhile, a few other stars have also taken up acting roles during the year.
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"Stone Cold" Steve Austin’s film titled The Walk On is also set to be released in early 2023. The movie will also star Hall of Famers Ron Simmons and Titus O'Neil, WWE legend Chris Jericho, former superstar Brodus Clay, and AEW’s Kenny Omega.
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Take a look at the nine movies starring WWE Superstars that were released in 2022.
#9. Dog - starring WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash has starred in many movies and shows throughout his career. He has proven to be as good on the silver screen as he was in the ring with many good performances.
Many fans would remember Nash’s work in The Longest Yard, Almighty Thor, John Wick, and Magic Mike. In 2022, he starred in a film called Dog.
The movie stars Channing Tatum and a Belgian Malinois dog named Lulu, who bond over their travels while trying to make it to a fellow soldier’s funeral in time. Nash appears as Gus in the movie.
#8. Wifelike - starring former superstar Lana
C.J. Perry (fka Lana in WWE) kicked off her acting career around 2011 and made a short appearance in Pitch Perfect in 2012.
After joining WWE in 2013, Lana continued to star in some movies whenever she got the time. She appeared in Soul, Pitch Perfect 2, and Interrogation before being released by WWE in 2021.
Perry has focused on her acting career ever since her release and hasn’t signed with another wrestling company yet. In 2022, she appeared as Holly in James Bird’s movie titled Wifelike.
The film revolves around an AI company that makes lifelike robots to help grieving customers. However, an organization attempts to sabotage the programming of an AI that is assigned to a grieving customer.
#7. Brahmāstra: Part One - Shiva - starring NXT star Sanga
Sanga (Saurav Gurjar) has been trying to make it big in WWE for some time now. He started with Veer on NXT before the latter was moved to the main roster. Sanga teamed up with Grayson Waller for some time on NXT before reforming The Indus Sher with Veer on the brand.
While Sanga spent time away from wrestling, he traveled back to India to film a movie with some big names. Sanga starred in the blockbuster movie Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva which was released in September 2022.
Sanga starred opposite Amitabh Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, and Ranbir Kapoor in the film. He will likely get a few more big movie contracts following his first major appearance in Bollywood.
#6-4. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Thor: Love & Thunder, and Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Edition - starring Batista
After leaving WWE, Batista decided to try his hands in Hollywood just like John Cena and The Rock. While Batista hasn’t become as big a name as the other two WWE legends, he has still managed to bag some big roles in recent years.
Earlier in 2022, Batista appeared as Duke Cody in the blockbuster film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. The movie turned out to be a success and has a good overall rating. It also stars Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, and Kathryn Hahn, among others.
In the second half of 2022, Batista reprised his role as Drax The Destroyer in Marvel’s Thor: Love & Thunder. Batista appeared as part of the Guardians of the Galaxy in the film and had a short role to play.
Marvel also released a Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special towards the end of the year starring Batista as Drax along with other big names. He is set to appear in several movies next year, and will also reprise his role as Drax in upcoming Marvel movies.
#3. The Independent - starring 16-time WWE Champion John Cena
John Cena is one of the biggest names from WWE who went on to make it big on the silver screen. The 16-time world champion moved from the squared circle to Hollywood to replicate Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson’s success on-screen.
Cena has starred in many big movies over the years. In 2022, he made a cameo in a film titled The Bubble directed by Judd Apatow. The film was released on Netflix and did not get too many positive ratings.
The 16-time world champion’s biggest film of the year turned out to be The Independent, where he played the role of a presidential candidate. Cena stars opposite Jodie Turner-Smith, Brian Cox, and Luke Kirby in the political film that was released on streaming by Peacock on November 2nd, 2022.
Cena also reprised his role as The Peacemaker in the first season of the TV series of the same name. The Doctor of Thugonomics has a few films in the pipeline for 2023, including Fast X, Freelance, and Coyote vs. Acme.
#2-1. Black Adam & DC League of Super-Pets - starring WWE legend Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Many things separate Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson from other WWE legends, and one of those things is his ability to pull fans to their screens. Since starring in The Scorpion King during his days in WWE, The Rock has carved a niche for himself in Hollywood.
His films have grossed over $3.5 billion in North America and over $10.5 billion worldwide, making him one of the world's highest-grossing and highest-paid actors. It shows that he has been successful in multiple industries over the years.
The Rock played Krypto for the first time in his career in the DC League of Super-Pets released in early 2022. He went on to play the lead role for Black Adam in DC’s first standalone movie starring the superhero.
Speaking at the London premiere of his DC Comics superhero movie, Johnson revealed that his entire career led him to star as Black Adam. He fought for the role, and DC eventually trusted him by turning him into a superhero:
"Along the way, got a lot of nos. I got a lot of, 'is there anyone else who you want to play?' And there was a lot of questioning the idea of Black Adam. So here, here we are so happy that we're here and getting ready to deliver it to the world," Johnson said.
The film turned out to be a success, and will likely turn out to be one of the biggest superhero movies of all time.
