Former WWE Superstar David Otunga is opening up about his acting journey and how being a wrestler once held him back in Hollywood.
In a January 14, 2026 appearance on Inside the Ring, Otunga offered a revealing look at the challenges he faced transitioning from WWE to mainstream acting. While fans may remember his 2022 appearance in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Otunga now says that landing that role was harder than most people realize because of his wrestling background.
He explained that being a pro wrestler came with a stigma in casting rooms, which meant he had to intentionally separate himself from his wrestling identity when pursuing auditions. Otunga then revealed something fans may not have known about his She-Hulk casting: Marvel Studios had no idea he was the former WWE Superstar.
While many wrestling fans celebrated his brief cameo and assumed Marvel intentionally cast WWEs David Otunga, that wasnt the case. He was hired to play a character named Derek, and the production team only found out about his wrestling past after headlines started making the rounds online. That revelation ultimately caught the attention of Marvel itself.
Otungas story shows the ongoing challenge that many wrestlers face when trying to cross over into acting a path thats still evolving despite breakout names like The Rock, John Cena, and Dave Bautista paving the way.
Do you think WWE stars still face a Hollywood stigma, or has the perception finally changed? Drop your thoughts in the comments.
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