Let's face it: While he may be one of the best wrestlers of all time, Kurt Angle is not a gifted movie-maker. Indeed, Z-movie king Uwe Boll would check out any of Kurt's low-budget, low-quality projects with long time collaborator Bruce Koehler and walk out in disgust. Let's see, we've had Kurt as a serial killing, sex mad clown in Endgame, Kurt as a tough-guy sheriff hunting down Zombie Nash and Sid and now...Kurt as an evil cult leader (is there any other kind?) tormenting fellow TNA star James Storm (who has also been pulled from the wrestling ring and dragged into this pit of eternal Z movie medicority.) Kurt has claimed these movies cost on average $30,000. That's $29,500 more than I would have guessed. Information and the trailer on this future Oscar-winning film can be found here. That said, Storm as a blue-collared, beer-drinking steelworker is good casting. Oh, and Matt Morgan also shows up in the trailer for about 30 seconds of pure exposition to tell the audience every single thing they would need to know about the plot, all in a supposedly everyday conversation with another character. Er...thanks Matt. Frankly it seems the only good thing Kurt ever got out of these projects was getting to meet his girlfriend, and mother-of-his-child, Giovanna, on the set of one of these films.
Thankfully for Kurt (who wishes to pursue an acting career after wrestling) he has snagged a significant role in a movie with a- GASP!- budget. Kurt's next film Warrior starring Tom Hardy and Nick Nolte is due to be released later this year. Hopefully it can leader to bigger and better things for Kurt, who, all joking aside, should be praised for planning a life and wrestling and wishing to move on with his life.
But Kurt is not the only wrestler hoping to make it in acting. Batista- who no-one is going to confuse with a member of the Royal Shakespearean Acting Troupe- has also been doing his fair share of movie roles since leaving WWE last year. The trailer for his latest straight-to-DVD film "House of the Rising Sun" suggests Batista will be playing a womanizing, not-too-bright tough guy. Quite a leap there, then. Prior to this he played a womanizing, not-too-bright tough guy in the movie classic The Wrong Side of Town. People will remember this film starring RVD as an ex-marine (giving one of the worst acting performances in history) with a daughter in her late twenties; Big Vis also shows up in a supporting role. Although, similar to Kurt, Dave has also managed land a credible acting role: he has a part in "The Man with the Iron fist" starring Lucy Lui and Russell Crowe.
But let's not forget WWE Films. Randy Orton has a small part in That's What I Am, a weepy coming-of-age drama starring the incredibly talented Ed Harris (along with Patricia Clarkson and Danny Glover, proving that, regardless of their talents, all actors can use an easy payday). In fairness, the movie doesn't look too bad (notably it's the first one not to emphasize the role of WWE), but WWE Films continue to be Vince McMahon's attempt to prove her can make in something other than wrestling and not fail miserably. Well, with WWE Films, Vince is... failing miserably. "Knucklehead" and "Legendary" both lost significant money according to a recent stock-holder's conference. Firm figures never came out for "The Chaperone" but there's not much chance it lit the world on fire either. John Cena's latest film "Blood Brothers" is looking to be released soon too. John plays one of three brothers (they all have different dads) who form a private investigation agency, and then travel to Mexico to save a kidnapped billionaire (not Vince McMahon) and collect the reward money. On the bright side, no blonde women get kidnapped. Frankly, while he has grown as an actor, I don't think Cena as a thespian will ever top his performance on Larry King (which he really should have gotten an emmy for).
Needless to say, The Rock has never expressed any interest in being in a WWE movie, and I can't say I blame him.