Five of the Craziest Acting Roles Played by Wrestlers

As ComicBook.com reported last week, WWE superstar Sheamus joined the cast of Michael Bay’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 as Rocksteady, Shredder’s villainous mutant rhino lackey. Sheamus joins a long line of professional wrestlers moonlighting as actors outside the squared circle. Many wrestlers, such as Andre the Giant and the Rock, have enjoyed long and successful careers in Hollywood. But just as professional wrestlers occasionally have to job out and lose a match, those who pursue acting have to take on less than glamorous roles. Let’s take a look at five of the crazier acting roles by wrestlers over the years.

Kevin Nash as Super Shredder

Kevin “Big Sexy” Nash was an iconic wrestler throughout the 1990s, appearing in both the WWF and WCW. His first Hollywood role was a “blink and you miss it” spot in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze. At the end of TMNT 2, the Turtles’ archenemy, Shredder, consumes a vial of mutagen and transforms into the monstrous Super Shredder, played by Nash. As explained on the packaging of his popular action figure, Nash’s Super Shredder was “glistening and not listening to reason” with “twice the Turtle-eating turbulence than the old simple Shredhead.” Nash was still a new wrestler when TMNT 2 released and many consider his turn as the Super Shredder to be an almost forgotten role.

Bill Goldberg as a Killer Santa Claus

Holder of professional wrestling’s longest winning streak (a string of 155 wins), Bill Goldberg was one of the hottest wrestlers in the late 1990s and early 2000s. After he retired in 2004, Goldberg starred in Santa’s Slay as a homicidal version of jolly Saint Nick. Goldberg’s Santa Claus was the actual spawn of Satan, forced to deliver presents for a thousand years after losing a curling match (that’s the winter Olympic sport involving rocks and brooms) to an angel. Santa slashes his way through a small town until his evil reindeer and sleigh are blown up by a bazooka. 
Unless you enjoy watching Fran Drescher getting her head caught on fire and drowning in eggnog, Santa’s Slay isn’t a movie you’ll enjoy watching during the Christmas season.

The Rock as an Alien on Star Trek: Voyager

One of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s first roles outside the wrestling ring was as an alien fighter in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager. In the episode, the Rock beats up Seven of Nine using variations of his many wrestling moves, including the Rock Bottom. The Rock’s appearance on the show made for great ratings, but drew heavy criticism for fans who saw the cameo as a cheap crossover ploy. The Rock went on to have a very diverse acting career, as we covered last weekend on ComicBook.com

Hulk Hogan as Mr. Nanny

Hulk Hogan is one of the world’s most popular wrestlers, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been in a lot of awful movies. One of his worst movies was Mr. Nanny, in which the Hulkster plays an ex-wrestler turned bodyguard for the head of a tech firm. Hogan’s responsibilities also include babysitting two precocious children, who enjoy pulling pranks taken right out of the CIA’s torture manual. The kids attempt to kill Hogan via electromagnets, tripwires, psychological torture and falling deadweights, but are eventually charmed by his thunderous lips and awful haircut. Hogan and the kids then team up to straight up murder a criminal by ripping off the top of his skull and shooting him into space. 
What can I say? The 1990s were a special time for kid’s movies.

Triple H as Jarko Grimwood

Wrestlers Dave Bautista and Macho Man Randy Savage earned instant fame for their roles in comic book movies Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man. Triple H, the WWE’s executive vice president of talent, also appeared in a comic book film, albeit one that’s a little less popular. Triple H played Jarko Grimwood in the 2004 Blade: Trinity, a steel fanged vampire working for the main villains of the film. During the movie, Grimwood bonds with a Pomeranian vampire dog named Pac-Man, taking the puppy with him wherever he goes. After the dog is killed by Ryan Reynolds’ character Hannibal King, Triple H tries to take revenge, but Reynolds takes him out too because Marvel hates puppies.

So what are your favorite wrestling roles? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

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