6. Schwarzenegger Dubs The Rock The Next Action Hero
When Dwayne "Don't Call Me The Rock Anymore" Johnson first made his leap from the wrestling ring to the Hollywood soundstage, critics were quick to tout him as the next big action hero. Most of the genre's seasoned veterans had become a little too seasoned, leaving the mantle open for a fresh-faced young stud to take over. One of the old fossils looking for a nice retirement home to be buried in was Arnold Schwarzenegger, who'd decided to pursue a career in politics in lieu of overjoying millions of fans by making a sequel to Kindergarten Cop. On his way out, though, he decided to pass the baton to The Scorpion King (Johnson's answer to Conan, perhaps) via this fun little cameo in The Rundown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF435dxn-44 That might be a World Record for shortest baton handoff. While Johnson's current status as an action hero is legit and his nickname of "franchise Viagra" is entirely justified (he's helped revitalise at least two flailing series in G.I. Joe and the Fast And Furious), I wouldn't go so far as to say he's at that Arnold level just yet. Still, the blessing from Mr. Commando certainly helped propel him to where he is now.
