It goes without saying that movie sets can be tense places (just look at all the Steven Seagal stories we’ve heard over the years). And it’s definitely not easier when your cast includes two rival WWE stars and a bunch of action stars all playing the world’s best fighters. So when you hear what happened when Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns showed up to film the upcoming Street Fighter movie, it sort of makes perfect sense. This wasn’t going to be a normal set.
Rhodes, who plays Guile in the upcoming film, told podcaster Chris Van Vliet that the production team seemed convinced the two WWE stars would fight for real if they were in the same vicinity.
“We had one day on set, and the way the set was, and he could probably reiterate this,” Rhodes said. “I think they thought we were going to fight or have issues for real because they were very cognisant on the radios of us [and saying], ‘Stepping out with Guile, Akuma will be coming on.’ They were very cognisant that we would not cross paths.”
And it’s not like they didn’t have reason to worry. The two have WWE history. In April 2024, Rhodes defeated Reigns during the WrestleMania 40 main event, ending Reigns’ championship run and finally claiming the Undisputed WWE Championship.
The funny part is that the actors barely interacted on the set of the Street Fighter movie at all. They sort of avoided each other. Until they couldn’t.
“And we did [cross paths], because I had to tell him the direction of one of the trailers, and that was our only moment, and it was very awkward,” Rhodes said during the podcast.
We can only imagine what that must have been like. And yet, for all that drama, Rhodes insists there’s no real animosity between the two stars. “That’s a crazy relationship. I have nothing but admiration for what he’s done and accomplished, but I don’t know what it is. I don’t even like talking about it because I don’t know what it is. It’s just a very strange relationship.”
Unfortunately, it seems that starring in the Street Fighter movie together wasn’t the cure either. Still, Rhodes believes the film is something special for fans of the video games. According to him, director Kitao Sakurai leaned into experimentation during filming, even installing a custom arcade cabinet on set loaded with multiple Street Fighter games so the cast could study their characters.
“Kitao was all about trying things,” Rhodes explained, adding that the production team brought in Capcom’s Takayuki Nakayama to visit the set.
For Rhodes, who grew up playing the games and even enjoyed the 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme movie, he took his role as Guile seriously, even making sure the character’s famous haircut worked. During the interview he revealed that he wears a wig made from yak hair throughout.
Street Fighter hits theaters on October 16, 2026, with a packed cast including Jason Momoa as Blanka, Noah Centineo as Ken Masters, David Dastmalchian as M. Bison, and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as Balrog.
If the cast’s enthusiasm translates to the screen, fans might finally get the adaptation they’ve been waiting for since the arcade days.
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