Was John Cena in the movie Ready to Rumble?
Who could ever forget the 2000 comedy-wrestling film Ready to Rumble? John Cena certainly doesn't.
While films revolving around professional wrestling are very niche, Ready to Rumble sadly drew poorly at the box office and has also received disappointing reviews and ratings.
The film stars the likes of David Arquette and Oliver Platt and a whole host of WCW wrestlers from the early 2000's. IMDb described the movie as "two slacker wrestling fans are devastated by the ousting of their favorite character by an unscrupulous promoter."
The film was promoted in conjunction with World Championship Wrestling, who even had Arquette appear on their show in storylines. Arquette at one point even won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, which many reflected upon the move as a dark day in the industry as WCW headed for its demise.
The film had many pro-wrestlers appear in it, but was John Cena in the movie Ready to Rumble?
16-time WWE world champion John Cena did appear in the Ready to Rumble film as an uncredited extra during a scene in a gym, before his time with WWE. The bit role marked Cena's first-ever appearance on the big screen.
John Cena, who is now a popular figure in the world of Hollywood, spoke with Dermot & Dave about the reason he accepted movie roles so early into his WWE career:
"You have to find that balance. When I did those movies in the early 2000s — if anybody saw them, I’ll mail them the check because I owe them some money. The reasons behind it were wrong. I was doing it to try and get WWE more popular rather than wanting to do it. Every second I was on one of those movie sets, I wanted to be back in WWE. Now, I truly enjoy everything that comes with the movie. You can’t have fear of missing out or wanting to be in all places at once. As performers in WWE, we fancy ourselves as very versatile and want to be everywhere. It’s a weird conundrum." John Cena said (h/t 411 Mania)
What film is John Cena currently working on?
John Cena is currently filming his latest movie Argylle, an upcoming spy film directed and produced by Matthew Vaughn.
The distribution rights for the movie were sold to Apple TV+ for $200 million.
Aside from John Cena, names such as Samuel L. Jackson and Henry Cavill are cast. Global musician Dua Lipa will also make her on-screen movie debut in the film, which has yet to have an announced release date.
The filming started just days after Cena's appearance at the WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view in Las Vegas in August, where he lost to Roman Reigns.
What do you think about John Cena's career in Hollywood thus far? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.