Pretty soon, the “Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns will star in Street Fighter, but does his first major Hollywood movie mean he's leaving WWE?
Some may worry about that. The template has been laid out. WWE Superstars — such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Cena, and Dave Bautista — begin starring in movies, and their wrestling schedules begin winding down. Eventually, they go full-time to acting and leave the squared circle behind. Times have changed, “We're in a different place,” Reigns said. “We've evolved and grown.”
However, Reigns does not want to do that. In fact, he wants to be the first Superstar to successfully do both on a full-time basis, as he told Stephanie McMahon on her What's Your Story? podcast.
“I wanted to be the first guy who could do both,” Reigns said. “I know John [Cena] did [it], and he did it his way, but to really be able to do both, d**n near lead a movie and still main event a pay-per-view and to have that type of responsibility.”
Reigns understands the business, though. Oftentimes, acting roles have contractual stipulations that limit outside physical activities. He knows that it will sometimes play a factor in his work, but he wants to juggle both.
“I do understand there's insurances and all different things behind it, but to be able to hold that type of responsibility and to be able to juggle both, I think that's something that this generation [hasn't seen],” Reigns added. “Hopefully, I'm one of the first to be able to do it.”
Will Roman Reigns leave WWE for Hollywood?
Ultimately, Reigns has no interest in leaving WWE anytime soon. He has a unique schedule that allows him time off between PLEs, and that could help the longevity of both careers.
“I don't want to stop being a WWE Superstar in order to wear other hats,” he said. “I'm always gonna be a WWE Superstar; I'm always gonna be Roman Reigns, and I don't want to ever have to [choose between them].”
Reigns is set to play Akuma in the upcoming Street Fighter movie. He will star in it alongside Noah Centineo, Andrew Koji, Jason Momoa, 50 Cent, and his former rival, Cody Rhodes.
Previously, Reigns had roles in WWE-produced projects like The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania and Rumble. Additionally, he has appeared in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, The Wrong Missy, and, most recently, The Pickup.
