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Lights, camera, and action! Over the years, a number of different wrestlers have shown their ability to act outside the ring on the small screen. Wrestlers who have performed on bigger stages come prepared with the talent needed for acting since their job is to, on an ongoing basis, portray a heel or a face and be as convincing as possible for the viewers.
Appearing on television programs presents an opportunity to open up since their range to play different characters and be seen by a whole new audience.
That opportunity has come along for a number of different former WWE superstars, and it definitely helped them evolve not only as in-ring performers but as actors. WWE stars have appeared on various television programs, but many examples have been forgotten. Which programs are we talking about, and who was involved? Here are five forgotten wrestler cameos on television.
#5 Ken Shamrock and The Rock on That 70s Show
Around the turn of the century, Fox TV's ‘That 70s Show' was among the most popular sitcoms of the time. The show was so successful that actors from the cast such as Ashton Kutcher or Mila Kunis later moved on to bigger things after the program went off the air.
On one episode, it also featured two WWE stars of the time. This could be seen as the beginning, the first foray, of the screen career of the biggest star in Hollywood today, the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, though the same could not be said about the other superstar who appeared.
Ken Shamrock and The Rock played wrestlers at a show that the cast regulars attended. In fact, The Rock portrayed his own father! The cast ignored a sign on a door that stated ‘wrestlers only,' and the result of that was ‘The most dangerous man in the world' and ‘The Brahma Bull' demonstrated their wrath when Red accidentally entered their dressing room. If we only knew, then what we knew now about what this cameo would eventually mean for The Rock.
#4. King Kong Bundy on Married with Children
The man who once main evented Wrestlemania II with Hulk Hogan, King Kong Bundy, was known for a number of different things in the ring. An example was his signature five count, when he would demand the referee count to five as he pinned his opponent after delivering his avalanche splash in the corner followed by another splash when the unfortunate party was prone on the mat.
However, Bundy also appeared on two separate episodes of ‘Married with Children,' which also featured characters with the last name Bundy.
When he first appeared on the show, he guest starred as Uncle Irwin, the brother of Peg Bundy, the mother of the Bundy family. For his second appearance, Bundy appeared as the King Kong Bundy character.
The second episode was titled ‘Flight of the bumblebee,' which featured a story where Bud Bundy, the younger child, crashed a televised wrestling match so he could get a photo taken with King Kong. He didn't just end up behind the scenes, but in the ring as well. The laughs ensued from there.
#3 Stone Cold Steve Austin on Nash Bridges
During the 1990s, Don Johnson returned to the small screen to star in the weekly action drama ‘Nash Bridges.' And one of the biggest names in wrestling helped build up the program with his guest appearances.
The Texas Rattlesnake, Stone Cold Steve Austin, appeared in six episodes of the program over the course of two seasons. He took on the role of Detective Jake Cage, a tough cop who was street smart and considered a ladies' man, plus being smarter than many assumed based on his looks.
The character resonated very well with audiences, and ,in fact, was considered for a potential spin-off program, which would feature Nash Bridges guest appearances. As it turns out that didn't materialize, but what did materialize was, that each episode on which Austin appeared was widely talked about. One has to wonder what could have been if the guest appearances turned into a spin-off series.
#2 Christian on Haven
During his wrestling career, Christian always presented a unique personality, one that fit him and his character well. As many will recall, he is a childhood friend of Adam Copeland, also known as former WWE champion Edge.
However, once Copeland was forced to retire from the ring, it became clear that the next logical step for him was to transition into acting. At one time, Copeland starred in the Syfy channel's program ‘Haven.'
What has tended to be forgotten is that Christian also appeared on the program. During the show's fifth season, Christian, real name Jay Reso, played the part of McHugh, the best friend of Copeland's character. Not much of a stretch since the two have been together, both off screen and working together on various on-screen projects since their in-ring retirements.
#1 John Cena on Psych
John Cena has appeared in a number of major motion pictures, such as ‘Daddy's Home' and ‘Trainwreck,' and is also known for starring in straight to video WWE films such as ‘The Marine' and ‘12 Rounds.' On the small screen, he starred in an episode of the television show ‘Psych.'
He guest starred as Ewan O'Hara, a U.S military Black Ops soldier and the older brother of the character Juliet O'Hara. In the episode, Ewan returned to aid his younger sister with a murder case that involved the military.
He was able to assist as he had special identification that allows entrance to a military base. Viewers are first led to believe that Cena's character was the murderer, but he manages to prove himself innocent of that crime.
However, he isn't completely innocent, as he ultimately shoots the murderer so that the military doesn't receive any bad publicity. Just when he was about to be arrested and taken away, the character disappeared without a trace never to be seen again.
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