Sherdog’s Top 10: Hollywood Crossovers

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8. Bob Sapp

It might be easy to forget these days, but there was a time when Sapp was one of the more terrifying people on the planet. The former University of Washington defensive lineman was cut by the Chicago Bears before ever playing a game and spent only two seasons in the NFL. He was forced to seek alternate employment after a positive steroid test in 1998, and things looked rough for a while -- Sapp was reportedly moving coffins in a funeral home -- before he signed on with World Championship Wrestling as a developmental prospect.

WCW’s demise drove Sapp into yet another line of work. He debuted as a mixed martial artist and kickboxer in Japan in April and June 2002, respectively, and quickly made a name for himself as a hulking mass of power and muscle. He beat the legendary Ernesto Hoost twice and blasted the great Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira before eventually succumbing to an armbar. Those performances and the massive exposure they granted the larger-than-life Sapp turned him into a star in Japan.

While Sapp’s career as a fighter floundered, he found good work in the entertainment industry. He had a major role as the lovable giant Switowski in Adam Sandler’s remake of “The Longest Yard” in 2005 and also appeared in the 2011 reboot of “Conan the Barbarian,” starring Jason Momoa. He has also shown up in numerous Japanese movies and TV shows.

Although his fighting career appears to be over, Sapp’s size and charisma make him a natural on camera, and those pursuits seem to be going strong.

Number 7 » While injuries drove him out of mixed martial arts in what seemed like the prime of his fighting career, the former UFC heavyweight champion has since carved out a strong space for himself as a media personality and commentator.