5 WWE Superstars that have gone seriously mainstream since The Rock did
Pro Wrestlers — especially since the 1980s — have always been in their own tucked-away segment of pop culture, one where the public knew them just as wrestlers, but were so charismatic or held such a presence that they were recognizable, anyway. The Undertaker is one of those wrestlers. Mark Calaway has never been in any major TV or movie roles that didn't involve his iconic character (Suburban Commando doesn't count), but even non-WWE fans recognize him.
"Yeah, that's The Undertaker, innit?" a hypothetical person from England who doesn't watch pro wrestling would say upon seeing the former WWE Champion, perhaps.
It wasn't long until some WWE Superstars began to break on through, becoming stars in mediums other than wrestling. Hulk Hogan tried his hand at making films and TV, as well as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Andre the Giant had an acclaimed movie role in The Princess Bride.
Then, The Rock came along and became the Biggest Movie Star In The World, which changed everything.
So, we're going to take a look at five WWE Superstars who have managed to crack into the non-wrestling mainstream the same way Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has. We're gonna get the obvious two out of the way, first.
#5 Former WWE Champion John Cena
John Cena may not be a megastar on the same level as Dwayne Johnson in Hollywood right now, but the WWE icon is certainly right up there.
Cena began his foray into the cinematic arts with The Marine, in which he played a former US Marine who has to use all his skills to blow stuff up and rescue his gorgeous girlfriend from cool-looking bad guys.
Since then, Cena has become a genuine movie star and celebrity. He's run the gamut of doing family comedies (Playing With Fire), "raunchy but intelligent" comedies (Trainwreck, Blockers), voice-over work (Ferdinand, Dolittle), dramas (The Wall), and even major Hollywood blockbusters (Bumblebee).
Next year he'll be appearing as the villain in the next Fast & Furious film, which means we'll be seeing plenty more of John Cena.