The WWE will always have a connection to other forms of entertainment like movies and television. For one, the acting talent required to be a successful pro wrestler, coupled with wrestlers’ physiques, makes them prime for roles in certain movies. This has been seen in Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s film career and Sheamus’ recent appearance in the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” franchise.
But what’s even more interesting is the comparison that can be drawn between wrestlers and the actors we all know and love on the big and small screen. Here are 10 examples.
Jeff Hardy – Jackie Chan
When Jeff Hardy was in the WWE, he won essentially every title the company had to offer and became an enormous fan favorite, both in teaming with his brother, Matt, and as a singles competitor. That popularity and success have continued in TNA action, and it’s largely because he’s big into stunts, flying off whatever he needs to for the big spot.
Actor Jackie Chan is similar in that regard. A big part of Chan’s popularity is his almost mythical status as a man who does all his own stunts, even risking personal injury to entertain the masses.
Roman Reigns – Jason Momoa
Roman Reigns quickly went from the “powerhouse” of the Shield to becoming a major singles star in the WWE, winning the world title three separate times in just a few months. His Samoan heritage is a big talking point surrounding his matches, and that heritage also gave him an unmistakable look.
That look is also very similar to actor Jason Momoa, who is currently best known as Aquaman on the silver screen. Part of their similarity lies in the fact that Momoa has a Polynesian bloodline, since his father is of Hawaiian descent.
Scott Hall – Alan Rickman
Whether working as Razor Ramon in the WWE or by his given name in WCW, Scott Hall is mainly known for one thing – he’s the bad guy. Perhaps no one in the world of wrestling has perfected the despicable heel character quite like Hall.
Similarly, the late Alan Rickman, who passed away in early 2016, has crafted some particularly nasty villain characters in his career. Three of his biggest bad guy roles came in “Die Hard,” “Robin Hood” and most recently as Severus Snape in the “Harry Potter” series.
Bray Wyatt – Morgan Freeman
Sometimes, wrestlers come along who just know how to use a microphone. Bray Wyatt is such a wrestler. Despite taking plenty of questionable losses that would normally set a wrestler back, Wyatt stays believable as a threat because of his sheer ability to talk and his distinctive, mesmerizing voice.
In that regard, he’s very similar to distinguished actor Morgan Freeman. With the sound of their voice, both men can make almost any material sound intriguing and keep an audience engaged, and if you try hard enough, you can probably hear them reading this passage in your head.
Hulk Hogan – Harrison Ford
Hulk Hogan was an absolute icon working for the WWE in the 1980s and took pop culture by storm, elevating pro wrestling’s presence in society. Then, he went to WCW and helped make it a top franchise with the NWO angle.
By the same token, Harrison Ford was a major player in two of the most successful movie franchises of all time. First, he was Han Solo, a major character in the “Star Wars” trilogy, before starring as Indiana Jones in the trilogy of the same name.
Kevin Owens – Gary Oldman
When you look at Kevin Owens, he doesn’t look much like a professional wrestler. Unlike his first main-roster feud opponent, John Cena, Owens has a build that more resembles a member of a bowling league than a WWE title contender. Yet he threatens to steal the show regardless of the story he’s in.
Because of that, Gary Oldman is perhaps the best comparison from the movie world. Oldman doesn’t have the look of a Hollywood leading man, but whether he’s playing Commissioner Gordon in the “Dark Knight” series of Batman films or Sirius Black in the “Harry Potter” movies, Oldman is a real asset.
Bret Hart – Daniel Day-Lewis
Bret Hart won’t top many lists of marquee superstars in wrestling history. He wouldn’t have sold out arenas or sold a ton of T-shirts, and that may be behind a lot of his backstage drama. But one thing is for certain. If you ask true wrestling fans who the most technically gifted wrestler was of all time, Hart’s name will be in the conversation.
Daniel Day-Lewis is similar to Hart for that reason. His movies aren’t major blockbusters with giant merchandise campaigns, but he’s widely known as an incredible actor. The fact that he’s the only man with three Oscars for Best Actor backs that claim up.
Cesaro – Leonardo DiCaprio
Other than brief stints of tag-team wrestling, Cesaro has been in WWE’s upper mid-card for quite some time. A former United States Champion, the Swiss Superman has developed a growing fanbase just waiting for him to get a big push and a top title.
That’s reminiscent of the chatter surrounding Leonardo DiCaprio for many years. Frequently in huge movies that were as popular as they were well done, fans began to wonder if he’d ever get credit for the great work that he was doing. Hopefully for Cesaro, he can have the kind of moment Leo finally had when he won an Oscar for Best Actor in 2016.
John Cena – Vin Diesel
The most obvious comparison between John Cena and Vin Diesel is their muscular physiques. In fact, it could be argued that both men are where they are in their respective fields because of that build and impressive look.
But the comparison goes much deeper than that as both men are somewhat polarizing with regard to how their careers and talents are viewed. But while neither is the best technically in their field, both men are more than capable of entertaining a crowd and excelling at putting out an action-filled, even if predictable, product.
Stone Cold Steve Austin – Bruce Willis
Like the last pair, this duo has a very obvious feature in common, since both men are known to rock a bald head. On top of that, though, is the fact that what they’re known best for is keeping their work catchy and action-packed.
Beyond all that, Willis and Austin are completely synonymous with their chosen fields. When people think about Monday Night War era wrestling in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Stone Cold is among the first name to come to mind, and the same can be said of Willis and action films.
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