On Thursday, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South delivered a flawless rendition of WWE Champion Cody Rhodes' “Kingdom” theme. The HBCU performance happened during UAPB's 70-0 loss to Arkansas in Week 1 of the college football season. While the game did get out of hand, the band's amazing performance quickly stole headlines.

Cody Rhodes' “Kingdom,” performed by Downstait, has been an anthem for resilience and heroism since his exit from WWE in 2016. Known for its epic tones and the vivid detail of Rhodes's story, the track perfectly complements the larger-than-life persona of Rhodes, who has become synonymous with determination and grit inside the ring.

The song also has a brief reference to Rhodes's father Dusty Rhodes, a famous WWE star who was known for his iconic “Hard Times” promo. The promo referenced his feud with Ric Flair over the NWA World Championship at Starcade 1985.

“Hard times are when the textile workers around this country are out of work, they got 4 or 5 kids and can’t pay their wages, can’t buy their food. Hard times are when the auto workers are out of work and they tell ‘em go home. And hard times are when a man has worked at a job for thirty years, thirty years, and they give him a watch, kick him in the butt and say ‘hey a computer took your place, daddy', that’s hard times! That’s hard times,” he said in a portion of the promo.

Downstrait references the promo early in the song, saying, “And my father said, when I was younger, Hard times breed better men (better men!)”

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The song is synonymous with Rhodes return to the WWE at Wrestlemania 38. He was the surprise opponent of Seth Rollins and ultimately captured his first win to kickstart a phenomenal return run in the WWE. Recently at Wrestlemania 41 Rhodes captured his first WWE championship with a huge win over longtime WWE Undisputed Champion Roman Reigns.

The performance drew a massive reaction on social media, with a video shared on the Cody Rhodes fan page @wewantcody_ amassing over 800,000 views on X at the time of writing. WWE fans were ecstatic, praising the rendition and the band's ability to capture the song's essence. However, some enthusiasts noted they missed the signature “whoa” chant that typically accompanies the song at live wrestling events.

This isn't the first time HBCU marching bands have intersected with the WWE universe. Texas Southern's Ocean of Soul once played WWE star Bianca Belair's theme song “Watch Me Shine” at Wrestlemania 38 in Arlington, Texas.

Considering the positive reception, it wouldn't be surprising to see UAPB's Marching Musical Machine represent HBCUs and make an appearance alongside Cody Rhodes at a future WWE event. It is unknown if Rhodes has seen the video but the M4 marching band might need to open up their schedule in the next few months.