Before Netflix introduces you to the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling on “G.L.O.W.,” meet some of the grapplers who transitioned from the ring to the screen.
André Roussimoff put the “gentle” in “gentle giant” with “The Princess Bride,” a beloved fairy tale of a movie featuring no body slams but plenty of heels. He also played Dagoth in “Conan the Destroyer,” among other roles. Anybody want a peanut?
Before he was sleeping with the fishes, Lenny Montana was wrestling throughout the country as the Zebra Kid — he even won the NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship back in 1953. Following his work in “The Godfather,” he appeared in “The Jerk,” “Strike Force” and “Magnum, P.I.”
Hulkamania ran wild throughout the 1980s and early ’90s, but the Hulkster’s film career never took off the way he might have hoped. At least we’ll always have “Suburban Commando,” “Mr. Nanny” and the upcoming documentary about his (in)famous Gawker trial.
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper came here to chew bubblegum and kick ass — and he’s all out of bubblegum. The perfect (if unlikely) face of “They Live,” Piper was as much of an anti-establishment firebrand in the WWF as he was in John Carpenter’s cult classic.
He’ll always be The Rock to me. After announcing himself as the Scorpion King and being credited first under his ring name before going with the hybrid Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson moniker, the eyebrow-raising, trailblazing, pie-eating superstar gradually emerged as one of Hollywood’s most successful actors.
The Rock’s greatest in-ring rival hasn’t had as illustrious a silver-screen career as the Brahma Bull, but he’s found success as a podcast host and reality/competition host in addition to headlining action flicks like “The Condemned.”
One of the wrestling world’s more unlikely crossover successes also has more good movies to his name in the last few years than any other former grappler. In addition to “Spectre” and the “Guardians of the Galaxy” series, the master of the Batista Bomb also has a role in this year’s “Blade Runner 2049.”
Following his scene-stealing turns in “Trainwreck” and “Sisters,” the former Doctor of Thuganomics is closer to becoming a main eventer. He just starred alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the barebones thriller “The Wall” and will next appear in “Daddy’s Home 2.”
He’s currently teaming with Cesaro on Monday nights, but in the most recent “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” Sheamus played the Rocksteady to Gary Anthony Williams’ Bebop.
When he isn’t taking opponents to Slamtown, the current Lucha Underground Champion is moonlighting as an action star in films like “Boone the Bounty Hunter.”
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