Over the years, Marvel has cast a number of WWE wrestlers to feature in their movies – and there are a few more stars who didn’t quite make the cut.

Marvel films from both within and without the Marvel Cinematic Universe have featured WWE stars, and there are also a few wrestlers who narrowly missed out on joining their ranks. Bringing superheroes to life in live-action movies isn’t always easy. As superhero movies offer representations of larger-than-life characters, actors often undergo significant body transformations to look appropriately muscled for their roles. However, Marvel has found success in casting actors from another source to feature in their movies: WWE superstars.

The career demands of WWE stars mean that the wrestlers are often physically prepared for roles as heroes or villains alike, and their experience in the ring often translates well to choreographed fight sequences or even stunt work. Casting wrestlers as superheroes – or, at the very least, appearing alongside superheroes – is a practice that has worked well for Marvel, even in the years before the creation of the MCU, but occasionally these plans don’t always come off as intended. With that in mind, here are 7 WWE stars who appeared in Marvel movies, as well as 3 more who were almost cast.

10.Triple H – Blade Trinity

Though it’s considered the weakest of the Blade trilogy, the 2004 film featured none other than WWE superstar Triple H. Having earned himself a reputation as one of the biggest names of WWE’s Attitude Era, Triple H was cast in Blade: Trinity as Jarko Grimwood, a member of a cabal of vampires attempting to resurrect Dracula. Triple H’s turn as one of Blade: Trinity‘s secondary villains may have been largely forgettable due to the film’s poor critical reception, but he was among the first wave of WWE stars to feature in a Marvel movie.

9.Seth Rollins – Captain America: Brave New World

Another WWE star cast in a Marvel movie is Seth Rollins, who is set to appear in Captain America: Brave New World. Though Rollins’ role remains undisclosed, speculation about who he may be playing in the MCU has run rampant. Whether he will be playing a hero, a villain, or a minor supporting character remains to be seen, but the WWE superstar’s next foray into acting will see him join one of the biggest franchises in cinema.

8.Batista – Drax in the MCU

Since his retirement from WWE, Dave “Batista” Bautista has found significant success in Hollywood. Though he has been featured in many movies, his role in Guardians of the Galaxy as Drax the Destroyer has quickly become one of his most iconic. In the role, the former wrestler has showcased not just his physical acumen but his comedic and dramatic capabilities, proving himself a particularly talented actor in the process.

7.Randy Savage – Spider-Man

Not all WWE wrestlers are featured in Marvel movies as heroes or villains – some simply play the part they’re best known for. Randy Savage did just that in Sam Raimi’s 2002 movie Spider-Man, in which he appears as a wrestler named Bonesaw McGraw. Bonesaw faces a teenaged Peter Parker as the hero experiments with his powers in the hope of making some money, with the wrestler attempting to subdue his wall-crawling opponent. Despite his relatively minor role in the film, Randy Savage’s turn as Bonesaw is fondly remembered even more than two decades later.

6.Kevin Nash – The Punisher

2004’s The Punisher may have featured Thomas Jane as the titular anti-hero vigilante, but it also happened to feature WWE’s Kevin Nash. Nash played the Russian, an unimaginatively named villain who serves as a recurring antagonist in the comics. The role sees Nash use many of the same skills he once employed in the WWE, and though The Punisher has largely been forgotten, the wrestler did get a chance to appear in a Marvel movie in the years before the MCU.

5.Tyler Mane – X-Men

2000’s X-Men was a groundbreaking movie in many ways. Not only did it pioneer the modern superhero blockbuster with an ambitious ensemble story, but it also featured WWE star Tyler Mane as Sabretooth. In the film, Mane’s role is that of a supporting antagonist, with his wrestling experience seemingly factoring in nicely to the film’s action sequences. The role was later recast, with Liev Schreiber taking over for X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but the villain was first played by Mane in the 2000 film.

4.Shad Gaspard – Black Panther

Though it may have been all but impossible to spot him in the finished movie, WWE superstar Shad Gaspard actually appeared in the 2018 MCU film Black Panther. Gaspard starred as the body double for the titular hero, meaning that he was often the man behind T’Challa’s mask. His athleticism and physique clearly qualified him for the role, and though he can’t be easily spotted, his supporting role as a double for the film’s hero remains a serious claim to fame outside of the WWE for the wrestler.

3.Almost Cast: The Rock

Few WWE stars have enjoyed the same level of Hollywood success as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Since starting his movie career, Dwayne Johnson has starred in many action movies, but none of them have ever been made by Marvel Studios. However, Johnson has reportedly come close to a Marvel role.

Reportedly, the actor had a number of conversations about joining the MCU, with Marvel boss Kevin Feige reported to be a big fan of Johnson. Though his screen presence and action movie experience make him an enticing prospect to star in a Marvel movie, Johnson was instead cast as Black Adam in the rival DCU. However, it is still possible for Marvel to revisit the undisclosed near-miss casting of Johnson one day, as there are a handful of Marvel heroes yet to be adapted into the franchise.

2Almost Cast: Damian Priest – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Another WWE star who has been reported to have narrowly missed out on a role in the MCU is Damian Priest. The wrestler was reportedly asked to read for two roles ahead of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: Namor the Sub-Mariner and an unnamed Talokan resident. Though Priest’s casting never came to be, he was considered at one time to play the pivotal role of the MCU’s first mutant villain.

1.Almost Cast: John Cena

Another wrestler who has found remarkable success in Hollywood, John Cena has yet to appear in a Marvel movie, but claims he has been rejected multiple times. He claims to have read for the role of Cable in Deadpool 2 before being rejected, as well as other fruitless attempts for roles in the MCU. However, Cena has earned critical favor for his role as Peacemaker in the DCU, softening the blow for the wrestler who has yet to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.