Emmy-Winning Actor Paul Walter Hauser Explains Why He's Joining Major League Wrestling

Paul Walter Hauser has made a name for himself as a versatile actor. The 37-year-old has appeared in everything from comedic fare such as Reno 911! and The Afterparty to the lead role in Clint Eastwood’s biographical drama Richard Jewell and serial killer Larry Hall in Black Bird; with the latter two earning him a Golden Globe and Emmy, respectively. But Hauser's next foray will be into the ring with Major League Wrestling.

Next month, he'll be joining the wrestling promotion for one of its biggest events of the year, "Battle Riot VI." The event is described as "a mash-up of a battle royale and anything goes street fight, this super-sized main event will feature 40 of the fiercest wrestlers on the planet with new participants entering the ring every 60 seconds."

"I always wanted to do this, and I knew I was going to. I just didn't know when," Hauser explained to People this week. He said that he first became involved with wrestling after being asked to participate in a charity event for Wrestling Revolver back in November, featuring industry names such as Ronda Rousey and Jon Moxley.

"I said, 'Yeah, I'll come to a match and play around,'" he recalled, but admits he quickly took to the sport. "I got bit by the bug really hard, and I love it so much. I couldn't be happier that I'm being embraced by that community."

Hauser said that he first became interested in wrestling when visiting his grandparents in Florida as a kid, where his uncle introduced him to the sport.

"[I remember] laying on my stomach, watching this thing called Clash of the Champions that WCW, World Championship Wrestling, used to do," he continued. "And what really took me by surprise was there was one guy who looks like somebody's dad, this guy Arn Anderson. And then there's another guy who's 7 feet tall and looks like a giant out of a comic book, named El Gigante."

"The giant guy, who looks scary, is the ‘baby face,’ the good guy. And then the villain, the ‘heel,’ is this guy Arn Anderson, who looks like your school principal or something," Hauser noted. "So I think the polarity in those characters, and what was fueling them to even have this fight, this story, was really engaging to me."

In between acting gigs—including his Marvel debut with an unknown role in next summer's The Fantastic Four—Hauser tries to sneak in wrestling whenever he can, working with his trainer Paul London in Los Angeles.

On top of his love for the sport, the father of two admits that joining the professional wrestling community is a "great motivator" for him to get healthy. "That's incredibly important to me … being healthy, being around for a long time for my kids and my wife, and then seeing what else I can do," he added.

Hauser first opened up about his newly-minted wrestling career during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert back in February, comparing the side gig to Bruce Willis playing the harmonica. "I was like, maybe wrestling could be my harmonica," he said at the time.

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"Battle Riot VI" will take place in Atlanta on June 1, and will stream live and for free on YouTube.