Published: Aug 11, 2026 by Sanchez Taylor | Last Updated: Aug 11, 2026 by Sanchez Taylor
Sanchez has over six years of pro-wrestling news writing experience, covering the biggest news stories in WWE, NXT, AEW, TNA Wrestling and more. He has personally interviewed a number of top stars, producing exclusive content with the likes of AEW's Swerve Strickland and WWE's Nick Aldis.
WWE/The Academy
The wrestler-to-Hollywood actor pipeline is a real one, with a number of stars from WWE, AEW and elsewhere showing up on the big screen in recent years.
Despite a number of pro-wrestlers building successful careers in Tinseltown, we have yet to see a person who has had a substantial career in pro-wrestling take home the biggest prize in American filmmaking, the Academy Award.
From current Hollywood megastars to active wrestlers who are breaking into the industry, there are a number of talents who have a realistic chance at winning an Oscar at some point in their careers.
Here are six pro-wrestling related individuals who could win an Oscar in the future.
The Rock
With The Rock receiving critical praise for his performance in The Smashing Machine, many thought that he had an outside chance of receiving a Best Actor nomination at the 2026 Academy Awards.
This ultimately didn’t happen, with Timothee Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke, Wagner Moura and eventual winner Michael B Jordan rounding out the nominees for the 98th Oscars.
The Rock previously admitted that he did wish he was nominated for his role as Mark Kerr, noting that missing out lit a fire inside him.
With Dwayne Johnson proving himself as a talented thespian in recent years, it feels like it’s only a matter of time until he is nominated for – or maybe even wins – an acting Oscar.
Liv Morgan
Liv Morgan stars in Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo, which will premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
The current WWE Women’s World Champion is in an exciting stage of her career, with Liv Morgan having a starring role in a movie set to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
When Liv Morgan was cast in Bad Lieutenant Tokyo, reports described her role as one which could cement her as the next “it girl” in Hollywood.
With Morgan being one of just three actors named in the recent trailer, it’s clear that she is being pushed as one of the top stars of this movie, which has a lot of buzz surrounding it ahead of it being shown at one of the world’s biggest film festivals.
While it may be a long shot for a film of this nature to be recognised by the Academy, if previous reports are to be believed, Morgan’s performance could open more doors for her in Hollywood.
MJF
MJF played Lance Von Erich in The Iron Claw, which he also was an executive producer for.
MJF is in a similar position to Liv Morgan, where he is just starting to make a name for himself in Hollywood.
While the likes of Violent Night 2 and Happy Gilmore 2 weren’t exactly made with awards season in mind, these movies allow the AEW star to learn from and build relationships with veteran filmmakers and actors, which will only improve his craft.
Having roles both in front of and behind the camera for The Iron Claw, MJF has shown his versatility, and his ability to adapt.
At just 30 years old, MJF has plenty of time to hone his craft as an actor, and potentially hold a golden statuette.
John Cena
Speaking of versatility, John Cena has received praise for both his comedic and dramatic acting in recent years.
While John Cena has built his acting career with action roles ike Jakob Toretto in the Fast & Furious franchise, and with comedy movies such as Daddy’s Home and Blockers, recent performances, such as his starring role in the Peacemaker TV series, have shown fans glimpses of his potential in drama.
With Cena stepping away from wrestling in December 2025, he will be able to focus on his acting career, another discipline for the 17-time WWE world champion to potentially win gold.
Following his hilarious appearance as a presenter at the 2024 Academy Award ceremony, it would be nice to see Cena walk across the Oscar stage on, but with clothes on next time.
Dave Bautista
Dave Bautista has starred in some of Hollywood’s biggest franchises, including the MCU/Guardians of the Galaxy, and Dune.
While many fans group John Cena, The Rock and Dave Bautista as the big three WWE stars-turned-actors, Bautista has made it clear on numerous occasions that he doesn’t want to be typecast as the stereotypical action hero just because he’s a former wrestler.
The former WWE Champion has proven himself as a talented thespian, with roles spanning multiple genres.
Bautista has starred in several movies in awards contention in recent years, including Best Picture nominees Dune Part One and Dune Part Two, and Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects winner Blade Runner 2019.
With Bautista being perhaps the most celebrated wrestler-turned-actor, it feels like it’ll just be a matter of time until he receives a major acting award.
Marissa McMahon
Marissa McMahon co-produced “Train Dreams”, which was nominated for Best Picture at the 2026 Academy Awards.
While Marissa McMahon isn’t the the first name fans generally think of when debating which ex-WWE names could take home an Oscar, she is the former WWE name who has actually come the closest to winning a statuette.
The wife of Shane McMahon and the former WWE Director of Public Relations, Marissa was actually nominated for an Academy Award ahead of this year’s ceremony, with Train Dreams – which she produced – receiving a Best Picture nomination.
With the producers of Best Picture winners being the official recipients for that award, we could see more projects brought to life by Marissa McMahon go on to receive Best Picture nominations, and perhaps even win.
With this year’s nomination, Marissa McMahon is already in an elite group of producers, so her next few projects will certainly be ones to watch.
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