Wrestling superstars such as John Cena, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Dave Bautista managed to build successful careers in the film and television business after starting out in professional wrestling and becoming some of the biggest stars in WWE history. But what about other professional wrestlers who maybe didn’t find as much crossover success and still showed up in movies when you least expect them? We’re going to take a look at some of the best wrestler cameos that appeared in some of our favorite and even not-so-favorite films. And if you’re a wrestling fan, these cameos might even have been the most memorable moment of the entire viewing experience. The group below are some of the most notable:
The Giant/The Big Show/Paul Wight in ‘Jingle All the Way’ (1996)
Before becoming The Big Show in WWE, Paul Wight got his big start in WCW in the mid-1990s as “The Giant,” WCW’s answer to Andre the Giant and a new, evil adversary to challenge Hulk Hogan. After being crowned WCW World Heavyweight Champion, he got his first major cameo role, tangling with none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger as part of a group of scam artist strip mall Santa Clauses in the holiday-themed comedy, Jingle All the Way. Credited as the “Huge Santa” in the movie, Wight gets to briefly fight Schwarzenegger in a ridiculous, goofy scene. Jingle All the Way was trashed by critics and flopped at the box office, yet it gave Conan O’Brien endless material. The film is still discussed to this day, and it gave The Big Show his first notable film role. Thankfully, Paul Wight would find better roles in the near future during his wrestling career.
Edge in ‘Highlander: Endgame’ (2000)
The Highlander franchise had long passed its expiration date by the time Highlander: Endgame reached theaters. However, if you were a WWE (then WWF) fan who watched this movie in theaters, you probably would have perked up during a flashback scene set in 18th-century Ireland featuring none other than WWF’s Edge, aka Adam Copeland. The scene is goofy, but it was fun to see Edge show up as an Irish highwayman, with a vaguely Canadian accent that did not sound Irish, who gets foiled by Connor and Duncan MacLeod. The movie was mediocre, but nevertheless, it was fun to see Edge make his big-screen debut. Oddly enough, this is not the only time a Highlander movie makes it onto the list.
Hollywood Hogan in ‘Muppets From Space’ (1999)
Hollywood Hogan’s cameo in Muppets From Space is amusing because it came at a time when WCW was far behind WWF in the Monday Night Wars. Hulk Hogan was not the draw and pop culture icon he was in the 1980s and early 90s. Hogan’s cameo in the film was shot when he was still in his New World Order bad-guy phase in WCW, where he was re-dubbed from “Hulk” Hogan to “Hollywood” Hogan. It’s weird to see him show up in a Muppets movie and essentially talk straight into the camera, i.e. the audience, and start cutting a wrestling promo with no context to the actual story before he’s soon interrupted by Jeffrey Tambor as the sinister government agent, Edgar Singer. Before Hollywood Hogan can vanquish Rizzo the Rat to the lab for testing, Rizzo pleas to Hogan by asking what the wrestler’s fans might think, before Hogan remarks, “Whatcha gonna do? I’m a bad guy now.” Ironically, just after this movie was released, Hogan abandoned his “Hollywood” ways and returned to being a good guy, wearing his iconic red and yellow attire in WCW. Jim Henson Pictures really should’ve called up Vince McMahon and asked if Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Rock were available for the project if they were looking for a wrestling cameo that was more in line with the pop culture at the time. Still, Hollywood Hogan’s scene is certainly memorable.
The Fabulous Freebirds, The High Flyers, and The Tonga Kid in ‘Highlander’ (1986)
The opening sequence of the original Highlander movie features Christopher Lambert’s Connor MacLeod attending a wrestling match at the Madison Square Garden featuring none other than The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Buddy Roberts, and Terry Gordy) taking on The High Flyers (Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell) and The Tonga Kid. The Fabulous Freebirds were one of the hottest staples of the 1980s wrestling scene, and it’s neat to go back and watch the original Highlander with a wrestling match as the opening scene. The wrestling match with The Fabulous Freebirds is more about creating the ambiance and establishing the setting, but it almost appears as if the Immortals of the film franchise are drawn to places with large crowds with gladiatorial warriors engaging in battle. The modern-day wrestling match drawing in Immortals MacLeod and Fasil juxtaposes the later battle scene with MacLeod’s clan facing the Frasers in 16th-century Scotland, where Connor MacLeod first meets the Kurgan. Of course, professional wrestling is not legitimate gladiatorial-type combat, but in the mid-1980s, the veil on pro wrestling had not been completely lifted. The idea of the Immortals in the Highlander series being drawn to large gatherings around larger-than-life figures engaged in combat was quite apropos to set the scene for the opening, with its cutting-edge cinematography and editing work.
Bill Goldberg in ‘Looney Tunes: Back in Action’ (2003)
In a bit more of an extended cameo, WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg notably appears in the underrated hybrid live-action, animated comedy Looney Tunes: Back in Action in 2003, playing Mr. Smith; the mute henchman of the evil Acme CEO, Mr. Chairman (Steve Martin). Strangely enough, the plot twist reveals that Goldberg’s Mr. Smith was not Mr. Smith at all. It was the Tasmanian She-Devil (a lady Taz) in disguise the whole time. After she whips off her disguise, she falls in love with the classic Taz of the Looney Tunes, and they promptly get together in holy Tasmanian Devil matrimony. It’s not unusual for popular wrestlers to show up in mainstream films as mute bruisers or henchmen, but the goofy plot twist revealing Mr. Smith as the Tasmanian She-Devil is fairly amusing. Back in Action is worth a look for fans of the characters or films that mix live-action with popular animated characters. Interestingly, Warner Bros. is producing another hybrid live-action/animated movie with a Looney Tunes theme titled Coyote vs. Acme. To tie this back into the professional wrestling connection, the film will star none other than John Cena as a hotshot lawyer representing the Acme Corporation.
Chris Jericho, MVP, The Great Khali, Kane, The Big Show, and Mark Henry in ‘MacGruber’ (2010)
Upon its release, MacGruber was not a huge success, but in the time since, the send-up of the classic 1980s, machismo-laden action series, MacGyver, has become a cult classic. Not least of which was for its memorable riff on the roundup scene, where the titular hero (Will Forte) rounds up his old crew for a mission. The montage scene features a cavalcade of then-mostly WWE Superstars, including Chris Jericho, MVP, The Great Khali, The Big Show (aka Paul Wight), Kane, and Mark Henry. The triumphant reunion of MacGruber’s assembled crew is promptly jettisoned as the buffoonish MacGruber blows them all up. Seeing MacGruber assemble a whole team of noteworthy WWE Superstars only to blow them up just seconds later is one of the film’s most memorable and hilarious moments.
Hulk Hogan in ‘Gremlins 2: The New Batch’ (1990)
If you were a kid in the late 80s or very early 90s, chances are you had a very good idea who Hulk Hogan was, or you knew about Hulkamania. Gremlins 2: The New Batch is a fascinating movie in that it’s a sequel that takes things a step further by utilizing a fair amount of fourth-wall-breaking meta-humor. In one such scene, the Gremlins literally stop the movie from the movie theater’s projection booth. If someone was watching the film in an actual theater when the film was originally released, at first, it appears that something is genuinely wrong with the film. But once the Gremlins start making shadow puppets, the audience realizes that it’s all part of the show.
As the Gremlins take over over the projection booth, a snooty theater manager seeks the assistance of WWF Superstar Hulk Hogan, who is simply enjoying the movie in the audience. Hogan then proceeds to cut a wrestling promo at the Gremlins in the booth, warning them to knock off their mischief, lest he comes up to the projection booth and shows what happens when Hulkamania runs wild and gives the Gremlins a taste of the 24-inch pythons. That was seemingly enough for the creatures to knock it off and continue showing the rest of Gremlins 2, and the movie continues. Gremlins 2 is a bit of an oddity as far as sequels to popular films go, but if you were a kid and suddenly got to see Hulk Hogan show up in the film, that was likely the cherry on top of this cake. Not to mention, unlike the scene in Muppets From Space, Hogan’s lines are at least in context to the story this time. As weird as the scene is, it plays into Gremlins 2 leaning more heavily into comedy and slapstick over creature horror.
The Big Show/The Giant/Paul Wight in ‘The Waterboy’ (1998)
Paul Wight redeems himself in the 1998 hit movie, The Waterboy, a great comedy, after appearing in the “so bad it’s good” movie, Jingle All the Way. When The Waterboy was released, Wight was still in WCW as The Giant. Wight has an appropriate cameo as the eponymous Bobby Boucher’s (Adam Sandler) favorite professional wrestler, Captain Insano, who laughs at poor Boucher’s expense when he offers his waterboy services to the wrestler. Wight’s scene is genuinely funny and gives the wrestler a chance to showcase his comedic chops, something he did again when he appeared opposite The Rock on Saturday Night Live. Notably, Wight’s current employer, All Elite Wrestling, actually trademarked the nickname of his Waterboy character, Captain Insano, back in 2021. There has been an expectation that Wight might revive the character inside a wrestling ring in the future. After his multiple film and television appearances, Wight eventually starred in his own Netflix family sitcom, playing a fictionalized version of himself in The Big Show Show.
Hulk Hogan in ‘Rocky III’ (1982)
Hulk Hogan’s iconic cameo in 1982’s Rocky III actually got him fired from the WWF by Vince McMahon Sr. (Vince McMahon’s father). However, this role would help elevate Hogan to superstardom across the professional wrestling world and eventually, pop culture as a whole. In this film, Hogan portrays the professional wrestler Thunderlips, a wrestling champion booked to face Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) in a wrestling vs. boxing exhibition match for charity. Things would only go up from here for Hulk Hogan. Even though McMahon Sr. wanted Hogan to have no part in the film, Hogan’s presence in the sequel only elevated his popularity and impact in the cultural zeitgeist. He would soon return to WWF in late 1983, giving rise to Hulkamania and WWF’s wild Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Era. Hogan’s character in Rocky III is the opposite of the squeaky-clean good guy superhero image that Hogan would embody for most of his career. Hogan’s role here also reinforces the cinematic trope of a hero who faces a prominent professional wrestler in some type of in-ring or arena-like contest of strength. Things would later come full circle for Stallone and Hogan in 2005 when Stallone inducted Hogan into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Macho Man Randy Savage in ‘Spider-Man’ (2002)
Since it was a part of Spider-Man’s origin story in the comics, Sam Raimi included a sequence in the movie where Peter Parker attempts to use his newly-found spider powers in a wrestling match. The role of the wrestler in the 2002 comic book superhero movie classic was portrayed by none other than the late, great WWE Hall of Famer Macho Man Randy Savage. In the last great matchup of his career, Savage gets to face none other than the Amazing Spider-man in a scene shared by always reliable, immortal Bruce Campbell portraying the ring announcer who ends up giving Peter Parker his spectacular nickname. Typecast or not, Savage was perfectly cast for this film and played his role to perfection. Savage was not a classically trained actor on the level of Laurence Olivier or Marlon Brando, but the man had charisma to spare and an undeniable presence that worked exceptionally well for his role in Spider-Man as Bonesaw McGraw. Savage made the absolute most of his screen time and even gets to show some of that classic Macho Man style with his line reading of, “I’ve got you for three minutes! Three minutes of playtime!” This is the ultimate pro wrestling movie cameo. They don’t come better than this.
