Top 10 Pro Wrestler Cameos in Movies

“MacGruber” (2010)
When a warhead falls in the wrong hands, the US military calls in the best man for the job, and MacGruber doesn't work alone. MacGruber's team consists of nothing but wrestlers who were associated with WWE at the time. While most of the wrestlers do nothing but nod and grin, Chris Jericho gets to have a bit of a bromance with MacGruber, and ‘le champion’ makes every line count. Big Show, Kane, Khali, MVP, Henry, and Y2J might not stick around for long, but most of them at least go out with a bang.

“Suburban Commando” (1991)
A month before Undertaker kind of tombstoned Hulk Hogan on a chair at "Survivor Series 1991," the two WWE icons faced off on the big screen. As a vehicle for the Hulkster, "Suburban Commando '' makes sure that nobody upstages Shep, its protagonist, and that holds true for the Deadman's bounty hunter. Taker shows up, bends a piece of metal, gets repeatedly outsmarted by Shep, and then spends a minute or two with his head in a toilet. Throughout his long and storied career, Undertaker practically never broke kayfabe, so it's a rare treat to see the Phenom in such a role.

“The Waterboy” (1998)
If someone's looking to cameo in a mainstream comedy, they can certainly do much worse than a late '90s Adam Sandler flick. Debuting as the Giant in WCW before showing up as the Big Show in WWE, Paul Wight has been a staple of the wrestling scene for decades, but the wrestler also had another gimmick in 1998. In "The Waterboy," Wight appears briefly as Captain Insano, a wrestler with a promo style ripped right out of the late '80s and early '90s. Foreshadowing Wight's run as Big Show, Captain Insano starts the scene as a face but ends it as a heel.

“Grown Ups 2” (2013)
The toughest beer-drinking, crowd-popping, McMahon-stunning wrestler to ever lace a pair of boots, Stone Cold Steve Austin owned the squared ring during WWE's Attitude Era. Jump forward more than a decade and the Rattlesnake has not lost a shred of magnetism, even when portraying a former childhood bully in one of Adam Sandler's least beloved movies. In his extended cameo, Steve Austin gives Sandler's Lenny a quick scare before the two get into a fight towards the end of "Grown Ups 2." Steve Austin even gets to call a spot for old times’ sake.

“Man on the Moon” (1999)
In a pre-"Wrestlemania" world when wrestling was still territorial and not mainstream, something big needed to happen to get eyes on the industry. On an infamous episode of "Late Night with David Letterman," Andy Kaufman and Memphis's Jerry Lawler got into a staged fight, although that was not clear at the time. In the Kaufman biopic "Man on the Moon," Lawler portrays himself as the film recreates the Letterman interview and a showdown at a Memphis wrestling show. Jerry Lawler's commentary partner at the time, Jim Ross, also lends his voice to the scene.

“Highlander: Endgame” (2000)
Edge spent the first few years of his WWE career doing five-second poses and changing the Tag Team scene with Christian. Taking a break from jumping off ladders, Adam Copeland made his acting debut as Lachlan in "Highlander: Endgame." Besides losing his edge, Copeland mostly exists to make Duncan look spectacular, and the Rated-R superstar does a pretty good job of it. Following his retirement in 2010, Edge would appear in quite a few movies and TV shows, including "The Flash'' and the recurring role of Kjetill Flatnose in "Vikings."

“Hobbs & Shaw” (2019)
Out of the many wrestlers who have tried to make the jump to the big screen, none have been more successful than The Rock. Considering the "Fast & Furious" franchise loves to talk about family, it seems fitting that Dwayne Johnson got to share a screen with Roman Reigns in "Hobbs & Shaw." As part of Hobbs' Samoan family, Reigns' Mateo is an absolute beast of a man, the type of warrior who can take out a dozen men solo. WWE's head of the table does not take kindly to disrespect, something Brixton's men learn first-hand in "Hobbs & Shaw."

“The Punisher” (2004)
As a wrestler, Kevin Nash tends to be a polarizing figure, but he is not known as "Big Daddy Cool" for nothing. Intimidating and naturally charismatic, Nash is designed to be a henchman or brawler in an action flick, and the wrestler even appears briefly in "John Wick." When it comes to cameos, Nash's crowning achievement is definitely "The Punisher" though. The vigilante action flick stars Thomas Jane in the titular role as a Marvel antihero whose family becomes the target of a crime boss. In the film, Diesel shows up as The Russian and spends a good five minutes beating the tar out of Frank Castle.

“Rocky III” (1982)
While the less said about The Immortal One's film career, the better, Hulk Hogan's cameos tend to be pretty memorable. Hogan being Hogan in "Gremlins 2" is cheesy but fun, but there's no doubt that the Hulkster's most important cameo is in "Rocky III." As Thunderlips, Hogan squares off against Rocky in a charity event that goes from kayfabe to shoot real quick. Along with just being a fun scene, Hogan's appearance in "Rocky III" brought a lot of eyes on the wrestling industry, arguably setting the stage for the business's mainstream push. Naturally, the match ends in a draw.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Terry Funk, “Over the Top” (1987)
Because When It Comes to Taking Bumps, Funk Is Untouchable

Ox Baker, “Escape from New York” (1981)
Because Baker Jobs to Snake Like a Champ

André the Giant, “Conan the Destroyer” (1984)
Because André as Dagoth Convincingly Makes Conan Seem Like the Underdog


Bam Bam Bigelow, “Major Payne” (1995)
Because Bam Bam Bigelow Can Carry Anyone to a Convincing Fight

“Spider-Man” (2002)
The Mega Powers, Ric Flair, and the Human Spider; Randy Savage had many amazing feuds throughout his career. Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" throws out two brilliant cameos for the price of one. After Bruce Campbell introduces Peter Parker to the rowdy wrestling crowd, Spider-Man steps into the ring with Bonesaw McGraw, portrayed by the legendary Macho Man. Bonesaw's tights might be considerably less colorful than the real deal but this character very much personifies Randy Savage, and that extends to a brief but fun promo. Small as the role might be, Savage nevertheless plays a rather significant role in Parker's story.