2026 Officially Proves A Beloved Classic Action Movie Tradition Has Been Revived

Published Oct 24, 2026, 12:56 PM EDT Zoë Miskelly is an editor and second in command for Screen Rant's Movies team, having covered the entertainment industry for almost 10 years now. Zoë's love of superheroes and all things Marvel & DC started out in childhood, and has blossomed into a career getting to talk about some of the biggest and best movies and shows of all time, having previously focused on comics while working at WhatCulture. 2026 has proven that a classic movie trend that in many ways defined some of the biggest hits of decades prior is still very much alive and well in the modern day, if not thriving once more. With well over a century of history behind it, the world of film has evolved and reshaped itself tenfold in just about every way possible since the days of silent films and black and white movies. One of the most common areas for development in this territory has been for that of the action genre, as one of the most popular corners of the film realm. That said, while the stunts and set pieces for action films have become ever more expansive and dramatic, some tropes and traditions have withstood the test of time, or found themselves in a resurgence of sorts after a period of dormancy. This kind of setup is the case for the matter of having wrestlers appear in movies - especially action movies - as this concept is one that's been utilized to both good and bad effect for decades, with prior periods of wrestling booms also translating to seeing more wrestlers in non-wrestling films. Though this concept is one that's had some lulls since its peak, 2026 proves it's a tradition that seems to be going nowhere. 2026's Movie Roster Features A Major Range Of Wrestling Icons The movie roster of 2026 overall features a stunning range of both current wrestlers and prior wrestlers who have gone to focus more on the acting space, further combining these two on-screen corners of the world of media. Thus far, 2026 has featured wrestlers in prominent roles within Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, Coyote vs Acme, Disclosure Day, Jumanji: Open World, the live-action Moana, The Wrecking Crew, Matchbox: The Movie​​​​​​​, Violent Night 2, and Street Fighter, to name just some of the films that have had notable figures in the professional wrestling scene appear in them. It's also worth noting that plenty of these films feature multiple wrestlers within them, as is perhaps notable most recently with Street Fighter's cast, which had Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, and Hirooki Goto all in central roles within its story, and had Roman Reigns playing the movie's most powerful villain. Altogether, this serves as proof that the classic action movie trend of having wrestlers or those who first became well-known as wrestlers appear in film stories is not only alive and well, but truly thriving in a lot of senses. Why 2026's Wide Range Of Wrestlers In Movies Bodes Is A Good Thing For The World Of Film Of course, having those who became famous for their wrestling prowess become actors looks slightly different in the modern day, as figures like John Cena and Dave Bautista are arguably good actors in their own right, even if you disregard their history in the ring - though their names being big because of their experience in this regard certainly doesn't seem to hurt things. Similarly, with wrestling being a field that has increasingly required those within it to develop their acting and fighting talents on-screen, it's in many ways no surprise that plenty of wrestlers are able to translate their skillset well into movies, with these figures having a natural advantage when it comes to things like being able to do fight choreography. As such, it's promising to see the classic movie trend that kicked off decades ago of having wrestlers appear in films is still alive and well, and has indeed been cultivated to have some solid results by 2026's release roster overall.