This is a list of the 10 best movies that wrestlers have appeared in. My criteria for the list is the quality of the film and the ability of it to stand the test of time. Many of these movies are seen very frequently on cable despite being decades old. I am not basing this order on the acting ability of the wrestlers involved or the length of time that they appeared in the movie.
1. The Godfather
Before sleeping with the fishes, Luca Brasi was in the wrestling ring. The actor who portrayed Luca, Lenny Montana, was a former professional wrestler. In the 50's and 60's, Lenny "The Bull" Montana also wrestled under the names of The Zebra Kid and Chief Chickawicki. This movie is generally recognized as one of the greatest movies ever made.
2. The Wrestler
Mickey Rourke was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of an aging wrestling star. The movie features real wrestlers battling Randy "The Ram" and the wrestlers that Randy talks to are real wrestlers. Without a doubt, this is the finest portrayal of the dark side of professional wrestling.3. The Princess Bride
Andre the Giant played the part of Fezzik in this Rob Reiner directed classic. The movie was released in 1987 and was filmed in 1986 while Andre was "suspended" from the WWF for missing a match. The movie is about a grandfather reading his grandson a fairytale that comes to life. This fairytale features a beautiful woman forced to marry an evil prince only to be rescued by her one true love and live happily ever after.4. Ed Wood
George "The Animal" Steele played the part of Tor Johnson in this Tim Burton directed Oscar winning movie. Released in 1994, the movie was about the life of director Ed Wood. Ed Wood directed some of the worst movies in history including Plan 9 from Outer Space. The movie stars Johnny Depp. Supporting actor Martin Landeau won an Oscar for his role of Bela Lugosi.5. They Live
Roddy Piper stars in this John Carpenter directed classic. Released in 1988, this movie holds the distinction of being the first movie to feature a pro wrestler as the leading man that was not a B-rated movie. The success of this movie led to other wrestlers getting starring roles in big movies. Roddy plays the part of Nada, an out of work construction worker that finds a pair of sun glasses that allow him to see that aliens are running the world.6. Spider-Man
Randy Savage played the part of Bonesaw McGraw in this 2002 blockbuster. In the movie, Peter Parker beat Bonesaw in a wrestling match but the promoter didn't pay him for this victory. When the promoter was robbed, Peter let the robber go. Shortly after, the robber killed Peter's Uncle Ben.7. Man on the Moon
Jerry Lawler appeared in this movie about the life of Andy Kaufman. Jerry appeared as himself. In the early 80's Jerry Lawler had a feud with Andy Kaufman. This movie stars Jim Carrey and was released in 1999.8. The Mummy Returns
The Rock played the part of The Scorpion King in this 2001 movie. This movie was a sequel to The Mummy. Both movies star Brendan Frasier. Even though he wasn't the star, The Rock was featured on the cover of Entertainment Weekly and went on from this movie to become a top action movie star. The Rock was so good in this role that his next movie was The Scorpion King, a movie where he reprises his role from this movie.9. Predator
This movie featured two future governors in the forms of Jesse Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger. This movie spawned several sequels. Jesse played the part of Blain, a commando sent to the jungles of Central America. While in the jungle the commando's fight an alien monster that is killing them off 1 by 1. Jesse went on to appear in Arnold's next movie, The Running Man.10. Rocky 3
Hulk Hogan appeared as Thunderlips, a wrestler Rocky fought in a charity match. This installment of the Rocky series spawned the careers of two 80's icons, Hulk Hogan and Mr. T. A few years later these two men would team together in the main event of the first WrestleMania. It can be argued that Hulkamania was born when this movie was released.