The history of wrestlers turned actors is a touch spotty, as there is a sizable list of performers who weren’t quite able to properly transfer their charisma in the ring to the big screen. That being said, there are some stars who have done it quite well. The most successful is Dwayne Johnson, who has the box office receipts to back up the superlative… but who is the greatest of all time a.k.a. the GOAT? That’s a question up for debate, but for John Cena, the answer is Dave Bautista.
Cena himself has obviously carved out an excellent career for himself in Hollywood, but he played humble in a recent Complex video for the series GOAT Talk when it came time to naming the GOAT of wrestler-turned-actors. Paired with his Heads of State co-lead Idris Elba in the clip, the Peacemaker lead briefly considers giving the honor to “Rowdy” Roddy Piper (with a special name-drop of John Carpenter’s They Live), but he ultimately gives the GOAT distinction to Bautista. Said Cena,
I’m gonna give respect where respect is earned. I’m going Dave Bautista. The dude has range and now has like transformed his whole body. The stuff he’s about to do, look out for Dave Bautista. The stuff he’s already done is incredible, but, as far as like wrestler-turned-actor with the range. You know me, I’m just dick jokes; that’s it. Dave’s got range.
It’s common for wrestlers to primarily work in action movies, as those are the films that can typically best make use of their muscles and physicality. Dave Bautista has done plenty of those, with credits like the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, Spectre, and Army Of The Dead on his resume, but part of what has made his acting career unique is his focus on working with some of the best and most notable filmmakers in the industry.
When John Cena speaks about Bautista’s range, he’s talking about his work with Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049 and the Dune movies), M. Night Shyamalan (Knock At The Cabin) and Rian Johnson (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery).
As for Idris Elba? He opted to support the self-esteem of John Cena by calling him the greatest wrestler-turned-actor of all time – and it’s work that the British star has witnessed first hand. They first had the chance to work together a few years ago making James Gunn‘s The Suicide Squad, and you can check out their latest collaboration now, as Heads Of State just premiered last week and is available to stream with an Amazon Prime subscription. Per CinemaBlend’s Nick Venable and his four star review of the action film, it’s a title that well-highlights Cena’s comedy and ass-kicking skills.