Golden Globe-winner taking ‘calculated risk’ wrestling ex-WWE star before new Netflix project

Paul Walter Hauser is wrestling for much more than a paycheck – whatever his nickname of The Mercenary might suggest.

The Golden Globe-winning actor is stepping between the ropes during WrestleMania week against an ex-WWE star for PROGRESS.

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The Michigan-born entertainer will take part in his 30th wrestling match against Big Damo, formerly known as Killian Dain, in Las Vegas.

How did Paul Walter Hauser get into wrestling?

“It was always a dream, very much a childhood thing that I think a lot of folks tinker with or fantasise about,” the man himself told talkSPORT’s Hawsbee and Jacobs on his wrestling ambitions.

“A wrestler by the name of Sami Callihan asked me to do a charity show to raise money for the folks who were affected by the fires in Maui and Hawaii.

“It started off with me just doing an appearance, maybe signing some autographs or taking some selfie photos.

“Then a week later, he asked me to wrestle, so I got in the ring. I had my first match in the fall of 2023, and I fell in love with it.

“I got bit by the bug, and I received an adrenaline high, the likes of which I’ve never had.

“So I thought this is exciting, this is fun. I’m pretty good at it. I should try it.”

The 39-year-old has continued to take Hollywood by storm since achieving international acclaim for his role in 2022’s Black Bird.

During the last two years, Hauser has appeared in Pixar’s Inside Out 2, Marvel’s Fantastic Four film and the Bruce Springsteen biopic.

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Last month, he was cast in the live-action ‘Scooby-Doo’ series at Netflix as a series regular, which is set to begin filming imminently and he is currently starring in Balls Up with Mark Wahlberg.

When asked if studios are alarmed by his unique hobby, Hauser replied: “Wrestling is somewhere between Dancing with the Stars and MMA.

“You talk to any dancer or fighter, they’ll tell you they’ve got injuries. Multiple.

“I just sort of played through the pain, and in the ring, we can be aggressive, but we also try to take care of each other.

“So I’ve struck a balance and I tell folks the truth.

“I say it’s a calculated risk, but so is getting on a helicopter, so is snowboarding, so is getting on a motorcycle, and these other Hollywood folks do that.”

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Even when he’s not wrestling, Hauser has some transferable skills to bring to PROGRESS on the microphone with the storylines involved.

“I sometimes have real-life storylines that bleed in,” he continued.

“And then, most of the time we are telling a story in the ring – the violence is sort of the avenue for the storytelling.

“With Damo, I think it’s respect from my side, but I don’t know that he respects me a whole lot. So I’m going to get in the ring and try to make him respect me and want to shake my hand.

WWE

“Hopefully, the PROGRESS fans in the UK, they’re kind of wishy-washy. Some of them I’ve met and they’re amazing. And others kind of think this is like an adult Make-A-Wish programme type of thing.

“But I don’t think they appreciate the work I’ve put in, and I have put in more work than some of the celebrities that come in like Jelly Roll and Bad Bunny.

“They’ve had two, three matches, but I’ve had 30 on the independent circuit where they don’t pour money down your pants, and they don’t put you on Jimmy Fallon.

“You just get in there and wrestle and meet a bunch of the folks that show up.”