The greatest wrestler-turned-actor of all time, according to John Cena
From unexpected meme to genuine Hollywood superstar, John Cena has constantly surprised people with what he is capable of.
You might expect someone who looks like him to go straight for the hardman, action hero roles, but the big man is also very adept at comedy. From Trainwreck to The Suicide Squad, Blockers to Barbie, he’s proven that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make a splash. Just ask anyone who was at the 2024 Academy Awards.
Most people know that, before making it big in Hollywood, Cena was a professional wrestler in WWE. However, it’s hard to understate just how important he was to that brand for over a decade. Cena currently holds the record for most recognised world championship reigns in wrestling history, with 17 world titles to his name. He was the company’s biggest star for years and is still a huge attraction as part of his retirement tour, which is expected to wrap up in December 2025.
Wrestling and acting use a lot of the same skills, so it makes sense that Cena and so many of his former colleagues have made the transition. Dwayne Johnson, ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper, and even the late Hulk Hogan all took their talents from the squared circle to the silver screen. However, as Cena explained on Complex’s show ‘GOAT Talk’, one former grappler has taken to acting better than anyone else.
I’m going to give respect where respect is earned – Dave Bautista,” said the leader of the ‘Cenation’. “The dude has range and is like now has like transformed his whole body… the stuff he’s about to do. Look out for Dave Batista. The stuff he’s already done is incredible. But as far as, like, wrestler turned actor with like the range – you know me, I’m just ‘Dick Jones’. That’s it. Dave’s got range.”
Known in WWE as ‘The Animal’ Batista, Dave Bautista was also a big success in WWE. He even had a match against Cena at WrestleMania, the promotion’s most important event of the year. After a handful of movie and TV appearances during his in-ring prime, Bautista stepped away from the ring to pursue acting full-time in around 2010. His big break came at the hands of a man who also helped make Cena’s career, James Gunn. He appeared as Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy, and it was off to the races from there.
It wasn’t just a case of waltzing into a Marvel movie for Bautista, though. He broke through the hard, taking a variety of smaller, more character-driven roles to pay his dues and learn about the acting craft hands-on.
This is why, as Cena explains, he has such a great range. He can do the muscleman stuff just as well as any ex-wrestler, but he clearly enjoys stepping out of his comfort zone too. From a cult leader in Knock at the Cabin to a member of the Harkonnen family in Dune to a jaded stage manager in The Last Showgirl, there’s no telling what he’ll do next.
Cena is absolutely spot-on with this observation. Everything is subjective, especially in acting, but by most metrics, Dave Bautista is the best former wrestler to ever grace a movie set. It’s not even close, really.
