Roman Reigns Says WWE Mindset Helped Him Transform Into Akuma for Street Fighter Movie

Roman Reigns is stepping out of the WWE ring and into a different kind of fight—this time on the big screen. While he’s gearing up for an Australian Street Fight against Bronson Reed at Crown Jewel, Reigns was also deep into filming for the Street Fighter movie, where he’s set to portray none other than Akuma.

The Tribal Chief gave fans their first glimpse of his transformation with a teaser video that features him morphing into the red-eyed villain in front of an arcade machine showdown between Akuma and Ryu. But in a recent interview with The Pat McAfee Show, Reigns opened up about what it really took to switch gears from WWE to Hollywood—and it wasn’t easy. Reigns said the filming process required him to completely rewire how he approaches performance after years in the WWE system.

“It was so busy going back and forth and trying to get through Paris and get to the point of getting down there. My kids are all in school right now. I didn’t get a chance to tap in with anybody.”

He explained that his time on Hobbs & Shaw helped him prep mentally for this kind of production:

“One thing I did do is when I was on Hobbs & Shaw, I was able to absorb everything and monitor and download as much of the process as possible. That helped me out a lot when I got down there.”

Reigns also took a hard look at his past on-set experiences and made adjustments to his mindset this time around.

“Things that I didn’t like about my experience or my attitude on the last project or two that I’ve done. Different ways to psychologically prepare myself for a different process. That was the biggest thing.”

He admitted that adapting to a movie set after years in WWE required a total shift:

“I’m so used to my WWE bubble and that process. Being live, jetting in and jetting out, having the bus and my own creative space. I had to rewire myself to be ready for a different process. There was one moment in time where I was like, ‘This is what being a movie star feels like.’ Being in that little bubble was cool. It’s interesting because everything I’ve learned in WWE and all these skills I’ve acquired and sharpened, they all translate.”

Street Fighter, produced by Paramount Pictures and Legendary, is scheduled to hit theaters on October 16, 2026. Roman Reigns stars as Akuma, with Cody Rhodes playing Guile, adding even more crossover firepower to the mix between wrestling and gaming culture. With a huge movie role and a brutal match against Bronson Reed coming up fast, Reigns is proving that whether it’s the squared circle or the silver screen, he’s ready to dominate.

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