Roman Reigns wasn’t just showing up to look intimidating in Street Fighter. The WWE Superstar had plenty of stunt work to deal with while playing Akuma, and Cody Rhodes says the movie’s production team made sure neither of them got special treatment just because they’re professional wrestlers. In fact, Rhodes admitted that his years in the ring didn’t prepare him for everything Hollywood threw at him.
Speaking on The Rich Eisen Show, Rhodes opened up about filming Street Fighter and how different the movie’s fight choreography was from what he’s used to doing in WWE. Rhodes, who plays Guile in the film, explained that stunt coordinator John Valera didn’t assume he already knew everything simply because of his wrestling background.
“I’m so glad he didn’t look at me and go, ‘Oh, he’s a wrestler. He’s got it.’ I’m glad he looked at me and said, ‘Oh, he’s a wrestler. Maybe he knows a different way,’ because of how we did this combat.”
Rhodes admitted that he needed plenty of help learning how to fight for the camera. While WWE involves physical contact and carefully planned movements, movie fights require a different approach to make everything look convincing on screen.
“I needed all the help I could. I’m used to punching a guy on the forehead, getting a little bit of contact, maybe not too much. In this world, a lot of across the frame, a lot of whimsy.”
That’s when Rhodes brought up Roman Reigns, revealing that his fellow WWE Superstar had a significant amount of stunt work while portraying Akuma. According to Rhodes, the production didn’t assume Reigns knew everything about movie fighting either.
“And Roman Reigns, who’s also in the movie, he was heavily stunt involved in terms of his role as Akuma.”
Rhodes explained that the stunt team understood professional wrestling experience didn’t automatically translate into Hollywood fight choreography. Both men had to approach the process differently, and Rhodes said he trained every day to get comfortable with what was required.
“They knew to not make the mistake of thinking the wrestlers know what they’re doing. So every day I trained.”
Reigns taking on a stunt-heavy role is another example of WWE stars expanding into Hollywood while continuing their wrestling careers. With Rhodes playing Guile and Reigns portraying Akuma, Street Fighter gave both men an opportunity to show what they could do outside the ring.
Rhodes made it clear that being a WWE Superstar didn’t mean he could walk onto the set and immediately handle everything. The same production that worked extensively with him also had Reigns involved in demanding stunt sequences for Akuma. Now that the movie has been released, audiences can see the results of that work for themselves.
What do you think of Roman Reigns taking on a stunt-heavy role as Akuma in Street Fighter, and would you like to see him pursue more action movies? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
