James Harrison is moving from the gridiron into the wrestling ring, joining the main cast of Starz’s upcoming pro-wrestling series “Heels.”
Harrison played 15 years in the NFL, most of them for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In “Heels,” he’ll play a character named “Apocalypse,” a been-around-the-block journeyman wrestler who’s been at it for decades and has no illusions of fame or glory.
Also joining the cast are Chris Bauer and Allen Maldonado. Bauer will portray “Wild Bill Hancock,” a larger-than-life former wrestling star who is now a high-level pro wrestling scout. Maldonado plays “Rooster Robbins,” one of the best wrestlers in the circuit who always has something to prove — and always backs it up.
The upcoming Starz series is led by “Arrow” star Stephen Amell and “Vikings” and “Hunger Games” actor Alexander Ludwig.
The show is an hourlong drama about “the men and women who chase their dreams in the world of small-town pro-wrestling,” according to Starz. “Set in a close-knit Georgia community, it follows a family-owned wrestling promotion as two brothers and rivals war over their late father’s legacy. In the ring, somebody must play the good guy and somebody must play their nemesis, the heel. But in the real world, those characters can be hard to live up to — or hard to leave behind.”