In late 2019, Dean Muhtadi traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia, for filming of the “Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins” movie. Muhtadi at the time was busy performing as Mojo Rawley in World Wrestling Entertainment
Muhtadi is now in a different place in his life, having been released by the WWE in April along with numerous other performers as the company looked to cut costs. Still, his acting dreams remain intact.
On Friday, people will finally be able to see Muhtadi’s film debut as “Snake Eyes” opens in theaters. Muhtadi has a minor role in the movie, the third in the G.I. Joe series, appearing in the opening fight scene with actor Henry Golding, the lead character. But the experience made a lasting impression on Muhtadi
“I definitely, definitely, definitely want to do more in film,” he said. “I had such a blast.”
He added: “I’ve got the bug. I’m hooked. I can’t wait for more, and we’re already working on that front.”
If Muhtadi does secure more roles, he would join several other professional wrestlers who transitioned to successful movie careers. Dwayne Johnson, who performed as “The Rock” in WWE, is the most prominent example as he’s become among the most popular and highly paid actors in Hollywood. Dave Bautista and John Cena are other big-name WWE stars who have appeared in numerous movies in recent years.
“I haven’t spoken in detail with any of them about their careers and how their transitions went for them and their opinions on film and TV,” Muhtadi said. “But they’ve definitely been role models for me. It’s always good to see it’s possible going from one industry to another.”
Muhtadi, who turned 35 last week, has been successful so far in numerous endeavors. He grew up in Alexandria, Va., and played on the defensive line for the football programs at Christopher Newport University and then the University of Maryland, from which he graduated with an undergraduate degree in finance. In 2009, he signed as an undrafted free agent with the Green Bay Packers and appeared in training camp and preseason games before getting cut prior to the regular season.
Muhtadi said he then accepted an offer to work at Merrill Lynch, but he reneged on the deal when the Arizona Cardinals signed him in January 2010. Muhtadi’s time with the Cardinals was brief as he sustained a serious calf injury and was waived that August.
As Muhtadi rehabbed, he earned his Master of Business Administration from Maryland in 2011 and considered a career in finance. After all, since he was 11, he had spent summers alongside his aunt, who worked at Morgan Stanley
Merrill Lynch again offered Muhtadi a job after he received his MBA, yet he chose to pursue a wrestling career because he was a longtime fan. In 2012, he reached out to Gordon Gronkowski, the father of NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski. Muhtadi was a close friend of Rob and his brothers, Chris and Dan, who had been his teammates at Maryland.
Gordon Gronkowski was a longtime friend and former roommate at Syracuse University with Mike Rotunda, a former pro wrestler who was working as an agent for WWE. Muhtadi met with Rotunda, tried out for the WWE and signed a developmental contract in August 2012 for $39,000 per year.
“It was a huge risk, one that certain people close to me might not have understood,” Muhtadi said. “But everyone knew me and professional wrestling would probably be a solid match.”
Muhtadi spent more than three years in NXT, WWE’s developmental territory, before he was called up to the main roster in 2016 and saw a huge pay increase. He was never one of WWE’s top stars, but he was featured on its Raw and SmackDown television shows and pay-per-views and made millions of dollars.
Muhtadi said he wasn’t surprised when the WWE released him in April as several other wrestlers had been let go and he had not been active for 10 months while recovering from injuries. That time off during the coronavirus pandemic gave him more time to focus on other things in his life, including his investment portfolio. He claims he invested about 95 percent of his paychecks into the stock market following the March 2020 crash and benefited from its strong recovery.
“I was living like a broke college kid again, just trying to put all the money I had into the markets just to be smart,” Muhtadi said. “I’ve been diving into finance and focusing on my investments. I finally have the time to put in the research and do the homework.”
He added: “It’s been a pretty wild year or two in the markets to say the least, but having the time to capitalize on it has been a very good thing for me.”
Muhtadi has also shared his investing and saving advice with his friends, just like he’s done for years with his football teammates and WWE colleagues.
“I’ve tried to do my part to help out my locker rooms whether it was in football or wrestling, trying to educate some of my peers on how to be financially responsible and where to invest their money, especially people that don’t know what a stock is or don’t know what a bond is,” he said. “I’m just trying to help my friends out to be smart so no one turns into a statistic.”
For now, Muhtadi is happy with his investing, pursuing acting roles and appearing as a guest co-host on the “TMZ Sports” television show. Still, he plans on someday wrestling again, although he’s still recovering from some nagging injuries and doesn’t know when he’ll return.
“I can tell you 100% my wrestling days are not done,” Muhtadi said. “I’ve definitely got to get back into a ring at some point. I feel like I have a lot left to show the fans that they have no idea that I’m capable of. It ain’t over yet, but I couldn’t tell you when that’s going to happen.”
