After a couple direct-to-DVD roles for wrestlers in the 1980s and 1990s, the 21st century has seen many sports-entertainers make a successful leap to some of Hollywood’s biggest feature films. The crossover kicked into full gear when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson officially exited the squared circle for movie sets in 2004, embarking on a wildly successful career that reached the pinnacle of box office achievement. Following The Rock was Dave Bautista, a former WWE Champion that skyrocketed to superstardom thanks to roles in the James Bond and Marvel franchises, and John Cena, the longtime face of WWE that is currently one of the most prevalent action and comedy stars working today.
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Rock, Batista, and Cena’s success laid the groundwork for dozens of other wrestlers to land major one-off roles from the jump. Cody Rhodes made his acting debut in The CW’s Arrow. Seth Rollins’s first project is next year’s Captain America: Brave New World. Becky Lynch reportedly shot scenes for Marvel’s Eternals but her work was ultimately axed from the final cut.
Liv Morgan Looks Towards Hollywood Career
Another prominent WWE superstar is eyeing tinsel town after her squared circle days end.
Speaking on Open Thoughts, former WWE Women’s Champion Liv Morgan opened up about her desire to do more acting projects down the line, noting that she sees herself embracing it completely after her wrestling career is over.
“I’d like to try to. I’ve been fortunate enough to do some projects outside of WWE in TV and film and I definitely think that is likely to be my next step,” Morgan said. “Use my platform while I have it so when I eventually get future endeavored, I already have my foot in the door here. It’s definitely something I’m working on but who knows, we’ll see.”
Morgan is no stranger to acting, already having a couple of projects to her name. She made her acting debut in Chucky Season 2, appearing on an episode of SYFY’s serialized take on the iconic slasher villain. Morgan added a movie to her credits in 2023, appearing in an ensemble role in The Kill Room, a crime comedy thriller that also starred Uma Therman and Samuel L. Jackson.
In her immediate future, Morgan is set to challenge WWE Women’s World Champion Becky Lynch for her title this Saturday, May 25th at WWE King and Queen of the Ring.
