10 Wrestlers Who Went Back To WWE After Failing To Become An Actor

1. Hulk Hogan

Prominent works: No Holds Barred, Rocky III, et al Was there ever going to be another who took the top spot? Arguably the most popular, prominent pro-wrester of all time, universally known, loved and hated in equal measures, during different times, Hogan's name value is unlike any other- perhaps only eclipsed nowadays by The Rock (albeit, Dwayne Johnson). Hogan is the prototype of a wrestler come actor. A figure whom grows as big as the industry itself, whom figures he can transfer such popularity into the mainstream. Granted, Hogan's movies, whilst dreadful, did make a bit of a splash at the box office. For a while, I can only assume Vince McMahon must have been worried to death he might lose his main cash-cow to Hollywood. Fortunately for Vince, Hogan set the bar for what happens when a wrestler turns to Hollywood and soon realised his relevancy outside of the WWF simply wasn't anywhere near the heights of within it. Hogan certainly wasn't deterred by the slating his late '80s films got from the press, continuing to star in features during 1996 and 1998. If anything, Hogan's reality TV show Hogan Knows Best was Hulk's most successful venture in the mainstream, running 4 seasons and 43 episodes between 2005 and 2007. Ultimately, however, whether it was the big screen or the little screen, Hogan's return to a pro-wrestling ring, be it in WWE, WCW or TNA was never too far away. In that lies the ultimate truth of wrestlers come actors: they always come back. Even The Rock- now a bonafide household name- came back, simply because there was no one single place in Hollywood where they would receive the kind of adulation and promotion than they would from the place where they cut their teeth. From the worst failures to the most renowned success of the 'Great One', perhaps the best way of putting it is: you take a wrestler out of wrestling but you can't take wrestling out of a wrestler... no matter what kind of roles they play.