Cody Rhodes Brings WWE Stunt Skills and Stage Presence to Street Fighter’s Guile

Cody Rhodes’ WWE background gives his take on Guile a practical edge: he can perform wire work and land the character’s signature Flash Kick. But Rhodes sees the wrestling connection as more than stunt experience. For him, Guile also needs the kind of presence that makes people turn when he enters a room. That distinction matters: fight choreography can reproduce a move, while a performer’s presence has to make the move feel like part of a character.

Rhodes discussed the role in a Q&A promoting the upcoming Street Fighter reboot. He grew up playing Street Fighter II on Nintendo, and recalled being better at the game as a child than he is now. Playing Guile, he said, ranks among his proudest career moments. The personal history gives him a point of connection with the material, though nostalgia alone can’t tell audiences whether the film’s version of Guile works on screen.

From the ring to Guile’s signature moves

“Being a wrestler and coming to do Street Fighter informs the character, but probably in different ways than people think,” Rhodes said. Wrestling, he explained, helped him handle the physical demands of the fight scenes alongside the film’s stunt team. He can work on wires, execute a Flash Kick and land safely. Those are useful skills for a role built around physical action, where timing and control have to hold up across repeated takes.

The other influence is harder to choreograph. Rhodes sees Guile’s room-commanding quality in the great wrestlers he’s worked with: performers whose arrival draws attention before they say a word. That larger-than-life presence may be as central to the role as the action. It’s a more demanding standard than simply looking convincing in a fight, because Guile has to register as a distinct personality even when he’s standing still.

Rhodes also asked a friend in the U.S. Air Force about details that could inform Guile, including posture and familiar phrases. The detail that resonated most was the character’s dog tags. Small choices like these can help an actor build a physical vocabulary for a role, though they don’t by themselves establish how closely the film will follow the game’s characterization. And this is the part most people overlook: a recognizable prop can carry meaning only when the performance gives it context.

A demanding schedule, shared enthusiasm

Rhodes moved straight from his regular work as a pro wrestler into the role, balancing WWE commitments with the film. He said he wanted the performance to reflect the game fans grew up playing. That aim puts a familiar adaptation challenge in focus: honoring what players recognize while making the character legible to viewers who may know the franchise only in passing.

He also described an immediate connection with the cast, which includes Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Andrew Schulz. Rhodes attributed the group’s rapport to its members’ experience leading in fields including hip-hop, comedy, wrestling and acting. That shared familiarity with performance may help a cast find its rhythm, but the account offers no detail about how that chemistry will translate into the finished film. For audiences, the test will be whether the characters feel like they belong in the same story.

What Guile’s casting could mean for the reboot

Rhodes brings a combination that makes sense for a physically demanding part: experience performing for a crowd and familiarity with the game that shaped Guile’s image. This is more significant than it looks. A Flash Kick is instantly recognizable to fans, so the film has to make the move read clearly while giving it weight as an action beat rather than treating it as a checklist item.

That said, the available comments describe preparation and intent, not the finished performance. The film still has to bring together choreography, character work and the expectations attached to a well-known game series. If you’re working in this space, you’ll recognize the balance: faithful details can reassure longtime fans, while the story and performances need to give newcomers a reason to care. The hard part is making both audiences feel addressed.

Presence, then. Rhodes’ emphasis on it points to the role’s less measurable challenge: making Guile feel imposing before the fight starts. The physical skills are concrete; the screen impact is not, and only the finished film can settle that question.

Street Fighter is scheduled to open in theaters on Oct. 16, 2026. The film’s cast includes 50 Cent and Andrew Schulz. Follow Cody Rhodes on Instagram.