What connection does Oppenheimer have with WWE? A character that fans overlooked

Oppenheimer is one of the most talked about movies today, but WWE still manages to have a connection with the Christopher Nolan film. Although no superstar is present in the movie, one of the main leads did act as a wrestler in the past.

Christopher Nolan's 2023 Oppenheimer film is led by Cillian Murphy, who plays the titular character J. Robert Oppenheimer. He is joined by the likes of Emily Blunt, Rober Downey Jr., Matt Damon, and more. However, the film connects with WWE due to Florence Pugh, who plays Jean Tatlock.

Florence Pugh played former WWE star Paige in the latter's biographical comedy-drama film Fighting With My Family. Stephen Merchant directed the 2019 film, and one of the producers was Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who was also in the movie. As expected, the wrestling film is about the family of Saraya-Jade Bevis.

Paige left the Stamford-based promotion in 2022 and is now wrestling in AEW, known as Saraya. She briefly retired in 2018 after suffering a neck injury, but after joining All Elite Wrestling in September last year, she has returned to performing in-ring.

How did Florence Pugh feel about becoming a WWE Superstar?

Zelina Vega played AJ Lee in Fighting with My Family

Becoming a superstar is a long process, so the journey is not for everybody. However, after preparing for the role, the Oppenheimer star has nothing but appreciation for the sport.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the 27-year-old shared that she did not grow up as a wrestling fan and was not educated much about the sport. However, she saw the beauty in pro wrestling after enduring the training, gearing up, and performing in front of a live crowd.

"All of the wrestling training and all of the preparation was gearing up to that scene," Pugh says. "It was terrifying, but so exhilarating. Everyone's cheering or booing for everything you do, and you're just totally in it. In that moment, I completely understood what it was like to want to wrestle, to go up there every night and feel like a superhuman for about eight minutes. You're invincible."

Another major 2023 film has connections with WWE

Aside from Oppenheimer, another movie released on July 21, 2023, is Greta Gerwig's Barbie. Interestingly, the latter film has an actual WWE star in the cast.

The WWE star that had a cameo in Barbie was John Cena. The 16-time World Champion played Kenmaid or Mermaid Ken. He played the love interest of Dua Lipa's Mermaid Barbie.

It's interesting to see how the Stamford-based promotion has multiple connections with mainstream media. It remains to be seen if the wrestling promotion will link to other projects soon.