Damian Priest Voices Cracktor in Netflix’s Animated Cinderella Film

Damian Priest is trading the squared circle for the recording booth, landing a voice role in Netflix Animation Studios’ upcoming animated reimagining of Cinderella. The WWE star will voice Cracktor, described as a “fantastical, formidable monster man,” in a film that puts a fresh spin on the classic fairy tale.

The movie is directed by Alyce Tzue and John Ripa and is set to premiere on November 20, 2026. It carries some added significance for Netflix beyond its starry cast — it’s being billed as the first fully animated feature produced entirely in-house by Netflix Animation Studios, making it something of a flagship project for the streamer’s growing animation ambitions.

Priest won’t be doing the heavy lifting alone. He’s joining a loaded voice cast that includes Amanda Seyfried as Cinderella, Daniel Radcliffe as The Prince, Bette Midler as the Fairy Godmother, Peter Dinklage as Roderick, and Ali Wong as Lilith. That’s the kind of company that signals Netflix sees this as a major theatrical-caliber release rather than a straight-to-library afterthought.

Speaking about taking on the role, Priest described leaning on his wrestling background to bring Cracktor to life. “As WWE Superstars, we use our voices as an extension of our onscreen character,” he said. “I enjoyed channeling that energy into making Cracktor feel intense and larger than life. I think people are going to be surprised by how much of a show-stealing character he is.”

That quote gets at something worth noting: WWE Superstars are, in a sense, professional performers first and wrestlers second, and voice acting is a natural extension of the character-building skill set they hone every week on television. Priest, who has built one of the more distinctive on-screen personas in WWE over the past several years — from his Judgment Day run to his world title reign — has the kind of larger-than-life delivery that translates well to a booming fantasy villain.

This also continues a broader trend of WWE talent branching out into mainstream entertainment beyond wrestling programming. WWE has increasingly leaned into cross-promotion with Netflix since Raw moved to the streaming service, and having a current roster member land a role in one of Netflix’s biggest in-house animated productions is a notable data point in that relationship. It’s good visibility for Priest individually, but it also reinforces how tightly WWE and Netflix are now intertwined as business partners, well beyond just live wrestling content.

For now, there’s no word on whether Priest’s new gig will affect his in-ring schedule, and nothing in the announcement suggests any change to his WWE status. But with the film’s November premiere on the horizon, expect WWE’s media machine to make plenty of noise promoting Priest’s Hollywood side quest as the release date approaches.

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