Many people attempted to find success in the squared circle but failed for a variety of reasons. The vast majority of these individuals fade into obscurity as they begin life after their failed wrestling careers, but there have also been some who found success on the big screen.
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A few big-name wrestlers, including John Cena and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, became A-Listers in Hollywood before their professional wrestling careers were over. At the same time, many wrestlers have made surprising appearances in supporting roles over the years, after failing to find sustained success in the squared circle.
8 Nathan Jones
Nathan Jones, who experienced a short-lived and underwhelming professional wrestling career, was awarded the coveted titles of "Most Embarrassing Wrestler" and "Worst Wrestler" by Wrestling Observer Newsletter in 2003. He may have had an imposing look, but that was not enough to cover up a glaring lack of in-ring skills.
While Jones may have struggled to gain momentum in the wrestling ring, he has found significantly more success as an actor. He has appeared in a handful of supporting roles, including a surprising appearance in Troy shortly after leaving WWE in 2004.
7 Brodus Clay
Brodus Clay, whose real name is George Murdoch, showed significant promise in WWE's developmental territories before debuting on the main roster in 2012. Nevertheless, like many before him, Clay was doomed by a terrible gimmick that saw him perform dance routines on his way to the ring.
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Clay took a brief hiatus from the ring to film the 2012 WWE Studios movie No OneLivesbefore the awful Funkasaurus experiment ever happened. He also made a surprising appearance on the 2017 film Supercon, where he played a security guard.
6 Jeep Swenson
Robert "Jeep" Swenson wrestled for a few promotions, including WCCW and WCW, but never amounted to much in his wrestling career. He was most notably involved with The Alliance, a group of wrestlers who attempted to end Hulk Hogan's career, during his final run in the wrestling industry in 1996.
Swenson, who famously appeared in the 1989 wrestling film No Holds Barred, has a few notable acting credits to his name. One of his most memorable (and surprising) roles occurred in the 1997 Batman & Robin film, where he played Poison Ivy's evil bodyguard Bane.
5 Vladimir Kozlov
Due to his massive size and RHF (Resting Heel Face), Vladimir Kozlov, who wrestled in WWE from 2008 to 2011, was one of many wrestlers who inexplicably got pushed even though he lacked the in-ring skill set to be a top competitor in the company. A clear indication of his undeserved push was the fact that Wrestling Observer Newsletter called him the most overrated wrestler in 2008, the same year that WWE awarded him with a Slammy for being the breakout star of the year.
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Kozlov, whose real name is Oleg Prudius, has a few acting credits to his name, including a recurring role as a henchman in the popular series The Wire in 2003. One of his most surprising appearances was when he played a Russian assassin in the 2017 film John Wick: Chapter 2.
4 Paul London
Paul London, who wrestled in WWE from 2003 to 2008, showed promise throughout his career but could not get over the hump to become one of the top wrestlers in the company. He was famously fired from the company in 2008 after... smiling at Vince McMahon.
London has transitioned to the big screen, but he has yet to achieve a starring acting credit to this point in his short acting career. However, he made a surprising appearance on a 2020 made-for-TV Lifetime movie Top of the Class, where he played a police officer.
3 Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett looked like a rising star in the industry when his Nexus stable, which consisted of wrestlers from the first season of NXT, began terrorizing the company throughout the summer of 2010. While Barrett remained on the roster and achieved relative success for the next six years, he struggled to live up to the expectations of being one of the top heels in the company after the quick push early in his career.
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The first and only acting role during his wrestling career occurred in 2013 when he made an appearance in the action film Dead Man Down. He reportedly had trouble getting used to regular life after leaving WWE in 2016, which might have led him to accept a full-time commentating position for NXT in 2020.
2 Tyler Mane
Tyler Mane, whose real name is Daryl Karolat, trained with the legendary Stu Hart for a short period and had a brief professional wrestling career. He had short stints with All Japan Pro Wrestling and WCW in the early '90s, but he achieved very little in-ring success with either promotion.
While Karolat may have lacked the in-ring ability to carve out a career in the wrestling industry, he has achieved significantly more success on the big screen. Due to his imposing size, he has often held roles that require someone with impressive physiques, such as his role as Sabretooth in the X-Men franchise. However, one of his first appearances was also one of his most surprising, as he appeared in the 2001 film Joe Dirt, where his wrestling background was on display when he hit David Spade with an overhead toss.
1 The Great Khali
The Great Khali, whose real name is Dalip Singh Rana, was in the 2005 comedy The Longest Yard before he debuted in WWE. Khali actually faced off against fellow wrestler Kevin Nash in the all-important guards versus inmates game.
Calling him a failed wrestler may seem like a bit of a stretch, especially considering his recent induction in the WWE Hall of Fame, but it is not so much so when you consider the fact that he failed to live up to his massive expectations, after experiencing a meteoric rise to the top of the company early in his career. Furthermore, he was unable to find success with any promotion, including New Japan Pro Wrestling and All Pro Wrestling, before making a surprise appearance in the 2005 film.
