9. Dave Bautista
Following your passion can lead to great things. Dave Bautista was told that he would never succeed as a WWE wrestler, regardless of consistently undergoing years of training to do so. May of 2002 would be his first shot at glory when he made his debut on WWE SmackDown with new pseudonym “Batista” in tow. While the debut was by no means a flop, a name change to “The Animal” would eventually lead him to become a six-time heavyweight champion.
Dave Bautista
Retiring from the WWE in 2010, Bautista started appearing in smaller roles in movies like ‘House of the Rising Sun’, ‘The Man with the Iron Fists’, but he would have to wait a while until landing a major role for himself. Four years later, he got the chance to play Drax the Destroyer in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, which led him back into the ring in promotion of the film, before getting back into retirement for good.
10. Mike Tyson
With the world considering him to be one of the most intimidating boxers ever to live, Mike Tyson has made a name for himself not only as an athlete but as an actor too. With a career starting at age 19 back in 1985, Tyson was the youngest boxer ever to win the heavyweight title, earning him nicknames like “Kid Dynamite” and “Iron”. His boxing career came to an end in 2005, but to many, he is still known as one of the greatest of all time.
Mike Tyson
Wondering about what he should do after boxing, Tyson had a few cameo appearances in films like ‘The Hangover’ and ‘Rocky Balboa’. This led to numerous additional appearances in films and TV shows, mostly as a slightly fictitious version of himself. His athleticism and fame from boxing made him the perfect fit for shows looking to attract a little bit of extra attention and increased ratings.
