When he was part of WWE, Stu Bennett was better known as Wade Barrett/Bad News Barrett, and fans remain infuriated by the way the company dropped the ball on his run. He should have been the company's first British world champion, but the stars never aligned, and WWE failed to pull the trigger on him.
When we recently had the chance to talk to Stu about his work on new movie I Am Vengeance, we asked what it's been like to transition from pro wrestling to acting, and whether it feels good to have his own action franchise.
"Yeah, 100%. It's like anything else. It's a hard game to break into, and I've been out in the US trying to get contacts and make some movies out here, but it's not been easy at all. I was very fortunate that I landed a position with the I Am Vengeance franchise right after I left WWE, and they've been very good to me. This is obviously the second film in the franchise, and hopefully we'll do a few more."
"It's been a fantastic opportunity for me to get some reps in the acting world and working with high-quality producers and a great director in Ross Boyask, and really get a lot of camera time. The more camera time you get, the more you're going to improve. It was the same in pro wrestling, and it's the same in the world of film too. I'm very lucky, I'm enjoying it, and I'm excited for everyone to get to check out I Am Vengeance: Retaliation."
Ultimately, it doesn't sound like Bennett is too interested in returning to pro wrestling, and he instead wants to continue breaking into the acting world. You can't blame him for that, and it will obviously be interesting seeing whether things go next for him on the silver screen (especially after looking at the success the likes of Dwayne Johnson and John Cena have found).