WWE Wrestlers Who Have Appeared On Star Trek

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On paper, "Star Trek" and wrestling are at opposite ends of the pop culture spectrum. "Star Trek" aims for the intellect, depicting a future wherein humanity has turned away from violence and war, where diplomacy, anticapitalism, and pacifism rule the day. The main characters on "Star Trek" (when it's operating at peak efficiency) tend to be nerdy obsessives, focused on engineering, egalitarian philosophy, or cultural exchange. A few of them are fighters or bruisers. 

Pro wrestling, on the other hand, is all about fighting and violence. The medium centers on larger-than-life, over-muscled caricatures who theatrically and bombastically brag about their fighting prowess. They have signature fight moves, whimsical catchphrases, and massive egos. The bombast is delicious to the medium's fans, making pro-wrestling a consistently popular form of entertainment for multiple decades running. 

So when a pro wrestler appears on "Star Trek," it's always something of a banner event. There is a gloriously weird juxtaposition of seeing an enormous, physically imposing professional grappler standing next to even-tempered, nonviolent Starfleet officers. Characters like Captain Picard may have leaked into the popular consciousness, but in terms of sheer overpowering character, Picard doesn't hold a candle to The Rock, Hulk Hogan, or Big Show. 

A wrestler, even in a supporting role, will stand out in the stalwart, quiet world of "Star Trek." And it's happened multiple times throughout the franchise. Wrestlers usually play aliens on "Star Trek," usually cast because their imposing size makes them instantly threatening. Several of the actors listed below played Klingons, as Klingons are notoriously strong and charismatic; they may be the closest the "Star Trek" universe has to pro-wrestlers. 

The nine wrestlers below have appeared on "Star Trek."

In the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "Devil's Due" (February 4, 1991), the Enterprise arrives on the planet Ventax II to find that they are preparing for the apocalypse. It seems that citizens of the planet had, many centuries before, made a deal with the Devil for generations of peace. That Devil's contract was up, however, and the citizens were panicking. And, wouldn't you know it?, a demonic being calling herself Ardra (Marta DuBois) appears on the planet, claiming to be the very Devil in question. 

Ardra explains that she is the Devil in every religion across the galaxy. She is a shapeshifter and a trickster who can cause earthquakes and teleport at will. She even claims to be Fek'lhr, the guardian of the Klingon underworld. Klingon Hell is, as one might imagine, a place where the dishonored go when they die. When Worf (Michael Dorn) challenges Ardra on her identity, she transforms into Fek'lhr before his very eyes. Fek'lhr is a drooling, fanged Klingon beast-man who growls and snarls. Fek'lhr only appears in two scenes of "Devil's Due," and he is played by wrestler Tom Magee in both of them. 

Tom Magee, a Canadian wrestler, was also a gymnast, a football player, and an Olympic-level weightlifter. In the mid-1980s, he began doing some pro-wrestling on the Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling before moving to the United States to take a job with the WWF (the original name of WWE). In 1986, Magee began wrestling against some of the WWF's biggest champions, including Bret "The Hitman" Heart and Hulk Hogan. He wasn't terribly popular, however, and retired from wrestling in 1990. He was on "Star Trek" the following year. 

Dwayne Johnson has, over the last decade, become one of the biggest movie stars in the world, and that followed his stint as one of the biggest wrestlers in the world. Still known as The Rock at the time, Johnson appeared on the "Star Trek: Voyager" episode "Tsunkatse" (February 9, 2000), a riff on "Bloodsport." In "Tsunkatse," Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) was kidnapped by an unscrupulous fight manager (Jeffrey Combs) and forced to fight in an arena against an array of powerful alien enemies. The episode culminated with Seven having to fight an alien Champion played by The Rock. This was one of Johnson's first acting roles; he wouldn't make his feature film debut until 2001, when he appeared in "The Mummy Returns." After that, there was nowhere to go but up. Johnson has since appeared in dozens of high-profile action films and comedy blockbusters, some of them legitimately gigantic (his "Jumanji" movies and "Fast and Furious" sequels made money hand over fist). 

On "Star Trek," one can see Johnson struggling a little bit. He was clearly still accustomed to being a wrestler, more comfortable posing and posturing than emoting. His character is also unnamed, only referred to as "the Champion." He has little dialogue and had to go gentle on his co-star, Jeri Ryan, who had much less fight training than Johnson (although she did have some). 

There's an amusing story about how Johnson left a signed photo for Ryan as a gift. Ryan, however, unfamiliar with wrestling, had no idea what "Can you smell what the Rock is cooking?" meant.

Tiny Lister, a tall and imposing man, began turning up in feature films in the mid-1980s, usually playing mute toughs and/or criminals. He was in films like "Runaway Train," "Armed and Dangerous," and "Beverly Hills Cop II." He starred opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in "Universal Soldier," and, perhaps most famously, played the threatening Deebo in Ice Cube's "Friday" movies. Lister was also a pro wrestler who debuted his wrestling persona, Zeus, in the corny 1989 feature film "No Holds Barred," opposite Hulk Hogan. As Zeus, Lister appeared in the WWF ring multiple times, appearing with a signature letter "Z" shaved into the side of his head. Zeus was a growling menace who rarely spoke. By all accounts, however, Lister was a friendly, generous, and consummately professional performer. 

Lister's stint with the WWF only lasted a few years, however, and he eventually moved back to movies, appearing in films like "The Fifth Element" (playing the president), "Don Juan DeMarco," and "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead." 

In 2001, Lister played the Klingon Klaang in the pilot episode of "Star Trek: Enterprise," called "Broken Bow" (September 23, 2001). Although Lister doesn't have a very big role on "Enterprise," his character is significant; Klaang was the first Klingon ever encountered by humans. He appears in the show's opening scenes. 

Lister passed away from cardiovascular disease in 2020. He was 62. He was a beloved figure in the world of film, and we are fortunate that he became involved in "Star Trek" in his long and prolific career. His final credit was for 2025's "Zootopia 2," which used some of his unused recordings left over from his role in the first "Zootopia."

When "Star Trek: Enterprise" was being shot, its Paramount company also owned WCW, so it was easy to borrow a wrestler for a shoot. In the "Enterprise" episode "Borderland" (October 29, 2004) — the first part of a historic three-part episode — the crew of the titular starship had to trek into dangerous territory to track down a team of Augments, genetically engineered super-soldiers who were on the lam. Their trek took them into the arms of an Orion slave trade, wherein several Enterprise crewmates were kidnapped and put up for auction. T'Pol (Jolene Blalock) kept a cool head throughout the process. 

Wrestling fans would note immediately that the green-skinned Orion slave trader was played by Paul Wight, better known as his wrestling persona, Big Show. Wight, being a giant strong man — he stands 7'4" and weighs 550 pounds — was able to lift his co-star without any issues, carting her around like a suitcase. 

Wight began wrestling in the late 1990s under the name The Giant. He was hired to appear in WrestleMania XV, when he debuted as Big Show. Wight's wrestling career is broad and lengthy, and he still works in the industry to this day; as of 2021, Wight works as a ringside commentator for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). His size has also landed him acting gigs in comedy films like "Jingle All the Way" and "The Waterboy." He played himself in the wrestling film "Fighting with My Family," and provided a voice performance for "No Time to Spy: A Loud House Movie." He even turned up in an episode of "Ghosts." He's hard to miss. 

Many supporting players and stunt performers on "Star Trek" have also come from the world of professional wrestling, and we would be remiss not to mention some of them. In "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier," the supporting Klingon warrioress Vixis was played by stuntwoman and actress Spice Williams, as seen in the photo above. Williams played several roles throughout "Star Trek," including a kidnapper on "Deep Space Nine," and served as a stunt stand-in for several characters on "Star Trek: Voyager." She dabbled in wrestling while also working as a singer, dancer, and actress. 

On "Deep Space Nine," wrestler, martial artist, boxer, and stunt performer Gene LaBell played a scarred Klingon veteran. He wasn't credited, but boxing fans would recognize him. He trained other stunt performers and fought against the likes of Bruce Lee in his competitive career. He trained Chuck Norris and taught "Rowdy" Roddy Piper how to wrestle. The man has hundreds of honors to his name, including several black belts. The man was a legend, and I encourage you to look up his career, as it is too lengthy to list here. LaBell passed away in 2022.

On "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Marina Sirtis' stunt double was Rosine "Ace" Hatem, a long-working stunt performer who is also trained in wrestling, martial arts, and boxing. She, too, was trained by LaBell and is close friends with Spice Williams. 

And Elle Alexander, a stunt double on "Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager," also has a wrestling career, having appeared as Danger for the Women of Wrestling (WOW). All of these people have very, very impressive and extensive stunt careers worth studying. 

Rebecca Quin, better known by her wrestling moniker Becky Lynch, is the latest pro-wrestler to be involved with "Star Trek." It was recently announced that Quin will be playing a character named Lieutenant Ya on the upcoming series "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy," set to debut on Paramount+ in January 2026. As of this writing, almost nothing is known about the character Quin will be playing, as she is only listed as a guest star in press materials; whether or not she will be a regular on the series remains to be seen. 

Quin was born in Ireland and began her wrestling career in 2002, wrestling under the name of Rebecca Knox. She won many matches throughout the early 2000s, only stepping away due to a head injury. When she came back to the sport in 2012, she changed her name to Becky Lynch and signed a contract with the WWE in 2013. She has since become one of the better-known wrestlers of her generation and was the first woman to ever win a headlining match at WrestleMania. She's also become a regular character in multiple WWE video games. She is still active to this day and is known by her nickname "The Man." 

Quin also dabbles in acting, having most recently appeared as a character named Flex in "Happy Gilmore 2." Her film debut came in the 2018 movie "The Marine 6: Close Quarters." She also regularly appears on talk shows and game shows, even once having competed on "Celebrity Jeopardy!" It seems that "Star Trek" is just another feather in her cap. Her autobiography, "Becky Lynch: The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl," was published in 2024.