There has always been a lot of overlap between WWE and Hollywood.
But before Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson traded in the wrestling ring for the silver screen, the relationship was rather one-sided. Wrestling has adopted a lot from Hollywood. Hollywood? Not so much.
Al Pacino's Tony Montana in the classic, 'Scarface', begot the Razor Ramon character. Scott Hall himself recommended that Sting based his WCW vigilante character upon Brandon Lee's eponymous character in 'The Crow'. There are eerie similarities between Bray Wyatt's original cult-leader character and Robert De Niro's Max Cady in Martin Scorsese's 'Cape Fear'. Although not technically a Hollywood film, Steve Austin based his 'Stone Cold' persona upon information gleaned from a documentary on notorious contract killer, the 'Ice Man', Richard Kuklinski.
We're going to buck that trend. We believe that Hollywood could take a lot from wrestling. We believe that Hollywood could interchange certain characters for these WWE Superstars, and nobody would know the difference.
This article looks at the Hollywood movie character equivalents of WWE Superstars. These selections have been made by factoring in similarities between the personalities and motivation of WWE Superstars, and the Hollywood movie characters. Certain selections have been made by taking into account the Superstar's perceived suitability for the role.
Agree? Disagree? Feel like we've missed out somebody? Let us know in the comments!
Vince McMahon
WWE Superstar: Vince McMahon
Movie Character: Michael Corleone
Movie(s): The Godfather Trilogy
The Reasoning: Like Michael Corleone, Vince McMahon aggressively expanded his father's business interests, going from a regional power to national powerhouse. Like Michael Corleone, Vince McMahon ruthlessly left his rivals on the wayside. Need anymore proof? Vince McMahon secretly funded Paul Heyman's ECW, and eventually brought Eric Bischoff in as General Manager of Monday Night Raw.
Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer indeed.
Ric Flair
WWE Superstar: Ric Flair
Movie Character: Randy 'The Ram' Robinson
Movie(s): The Wrestler
The Reasoning: Mickey Rourke plays an ageing, once great wrestler, who continues to compete long after his prime has ended. He just can't seem to let go. Ric Flair is an ageing, once great wrestler, who continued to compete long after his prime had ended. He just couldn't seem to let go, even competing in TNA after receiving perhaps the greatest retirement send-off in WWE history.
Charlotte Flair
WWE Superstar: Charlotte Flair
Movie Character: Wonder Woman
Movie(s): Wonder Woman
The Reasoning: Wonder Woman is an Amazonian Warrior Goddess who is freakishly athletic, incredibly strong, and one of the better physical specimens you will see on the planet; regardless of gender. Charlotte Flair is wrestling royalty, freakishly athletic, incredibly strong, and one of the better physical specimens you will see on the planet; regardless of gender.
Slap a black wig onto Charlotte Flair, and you wouldn't know the difference between the two.
The Undertaker
WWE Superstar: The Undertaker
Movie Character: Roger Murtaugh
Movie Franchise: The Lethal Weapon Franchise
The Reasoning: Danny Glover's Roger Murtaugh is an ageing police detective who constantly complains that he is "too old for this sh%%", constantly finds himself fighting nefarious villains, and then kicks some serious a%%.
I don't know whether The Undertaker has acknowledged that he is "too old for this sh%%" (he is), but he is still fighting elite competition, and still kicking some serious a%%.
Paul Burchill
WWE Superstar: Paul Burchill
Movie Character: Any one of the pirates in the background
Movie(s): The Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise
The Reasoning: The guy's entire character was that he was a pirate for crying out loud! Never important enough to play the likes of Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa, or really, even Mr Gibbs, he could nonetheless pass off easily as any number of pirates in the background, or at Tortuga.
Hey, not everybody can be a star.
Seth Rollins
WWE Superstar: Seth Rollins
Movie Character: Colonel Hannibal Smith
Movie(s): The A-Team
The Reasoning: Colonel Hannibal Smith is the master planner, and meticulously set out all of the A-Team's(one of the most effective black-ops groups of all time) successful missions. Seth Rollins is the 'Architect', and meticulously sets out all of the SHIELD's(one of the most effective WWE groups of all time) successful missions. And if he doesn't already tell Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose "I love it when a plan comes together", he should.
Braun Strowman
WWE Superstar: Braun Strowman
Movie Character: The Hulk
Movie(s): The Incredible Hulk, The Avengers Franchise
The Reasoning: HULK SMASH! BRAUN SMASH!
The Rock
WWE Superstar: The Rock
Movie Character: Any movie character that actor, Dwayne Johnson, has played
Movie(s): Any movie that actor, Dwayne Johnson, has starred in
The Reasoning: Have you ever noticed the striking similarities between The Rock, and actor, Dwayne Johnson?
All jokes apart, he's The Rock. Nobody could ever do it better than him, so why even bother trying?
Alexa Bliss
WWE Superstar: Alexa Bliss
Movie Character: Regina George
Movie(s): Mean Girls
The Reasoning: Regina George is a manipulative, attractive young woman The Queen Bee who is used to getting her own way, supported at every turn by her entourage; 'The Plastics', who she would stab in the back in a heartbeat.
Alexa Bliss is the same. She's already stabbed Nia Jax and Mickie James in the back, and is always seen with her entourage; Mickie James and Alicia Fox.
Case closed.
Stephanie McMahon
WWE Superstar: Stephanie McMahon
Movie Character: Miranda Priestly
Movie(s): The Devil Wears Prada
The Reasoning: Strong, powerful, women at the pinnacle of their respective professions who don't tolerate failure. Did we mention that they're both terrifying?
We wouldn't want to work for either of them!