Despite often being lumped in with many of the most deservedly reviled video game movies, 1994’s Street Fighter has its champions who praise its charms, with Jean-Claude Van Damme’s spirited Guile performance as one of those draws. Understandably, the actor filling Guile’s boots in the upcoming video game adaptation aims to deliver a performance that is on par with the Muscles from Brussels, if not better, and WWE champ Cody Rhodes had one character-specific moment he was eager to bring to the big screen.
Quickly shaping up to be one of the most anticipated action movies releasing in 2026, Street Fighter boasts a wildly talented cast of badasses, with Rhodes as one of the few whose other day job also consists of choreographed brawling on a regular basis. He didn’t back down from filming challenges either, taking on most of his own stunts. Speaking with TheRingReport, he addressed one of those stunts that he very specifically wanted to attempt: Guile’s signature move. As Rhodes put it:
I'd never been on wires, again wrestler, they're going to think, 'Oh, he can do some of this stuff.' Then you're like, 'Yeah, I don't know, maybe.' But Guile's flash kick, if it's in that movie, I wanted to get a shot at the flash kick. And I'd watched [Jean-Claude] Van Damme do it from the old school Street Fighter. The whole experience was really, really unique.
The athlete’s comments tap into the idea that being a professional wrestler comes with its own set of presumptions, with one of those apparently being that they’re knowledgeable about wire-work and that side of the stunt world. Not so much the case for Rhodes, but it sounds like he was game to try his hand at it. Or his feet, as it were.
When it comes to video game fighters’ moves, I’d 100% put Guile’s flash kick in the Top 10, maybe even the Top 5, depending on how fluid my memories are when asked. It’s a classic through and through, and even if it’s not quite as universally aped as Ryu’s Hadouken move, I can imagine that other fans would get very vocal about it online if Rhodes’ Guile doesn’t pull it off at least once.
For all that Van Damme is one of the most celebrated action movie stars of any era, I can’t help but think that Rhodes’ fight scenes in Street Fighter will look worlds more impressive than what the latter did to his then-ailing co-star Raul Julia.
While the film doesn't have a finished cut yet, given all the effects going into it, Cody Rhodes said that director Kitao Sakurai made sure to bring the cast into his vision by showing them early edits of the scenes being filmed. And for Rhodes, it was like a jolt of adrenaline, saying it made him feel "ready to run through a brick wall." He also shared:
All of us get there, myself, Roman Reigns, we're all from outside worlds and coming in, leaders in our field, but he had us all sit down, the group I was with, and we watched a sizzle reel of edit they had already made. I felt like I was on a Little League sports team. The way he was leading it, it felt like that's my coach. Kitao [Sakurai], the director, that's my coach.
Beyond Cody Rhodes, Street Fighter boasts a massive cast that also includes Noah Centineo, Jason Momoa, Roman Reighs, 50 Cent, Andrew Koji, David Dastmalchian, Andew Schulz, Callina Long and more. Comedic actors Eric André and Kyle Mooney also co-star, and what I wouldn't give to see those two guys squaring off for stunt-filled fisticuffs.
Street Fighter is set to bring its badassery to the Halloween season, as it'll hit theaters on October 16, 2026.
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