Roman Reigns Says Video Games Have Replaced Wrestlers' Old 'Extracurricular Activities'

Roman Reigns says WWE locker rooms aren't what they used to be — and video games might have something to do with wrestlers spending less time getting into whatever the local nightlife has to offer.

Speaking to ExtraTV on the red carpet for Street Fighter, the former Undisputed WWE Champion said gaming has become a major part of life on the road for WWE talent, replacing some activities that used to fill time after the cameras stopped rolling.

"I'm not very good at it nowadays," Reigns admitted when asked about gaming. "But yes, that has been a positive replacement for some of the other extracurricular activities wrestlers would do."

He added, "The video games have definitely allowed the guys to stay in and not go and explore the towns too much. But yeah, it's a huge thing in our locker room for sure."

Reigns didn't specify exactly what those old "extracurricular activities" involved, though Ric Flair’s legendary extracurriculars certainly hint at what he meant.

And with so many professional wrestlers now livestreaming their gaming sessions, it has also become another way for performers to connect with audiences when they're not competing in the ring.

For Reigns, the relationship with video games started long before he became the Tribal Chief.

The 41-year-old recalled growing up playing Street Fighter with his cousins, saying the franchise brought his family together when gaming meant gathering around the same television.

"It was one of the ways that me and my cousins bonded," he recalled. "Back in the day, everybody was outside all the time, but that was one of the few things that could get us to stay inside."

He continued, "This was a time before the internet, so we had to, you know, you had to come together and play each other side by side."

Now, decades later, Reigns has traded the controller for a starring role in the franchise that helped shape his childhood.

He portrays Akuma in director Kitao Sakurai's live-action Street Fighter, joining fellow WWE superstar Cody Rhodes, who plays Guile. The cast also features Jason Momoa as Blanka, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson as Balrog, Andrew Koji as Ryu, Noah Centineo as Ken Masters, and Callina Liang as Chun-Li.

Paramount unveiled the movie's official trailer at CinemaCon earlier this year, giving audiences their first extended look at the adaptation ahead of its October 16 theatrical release.

The project also explains one of Reigns' previous absences from WWE television. After he defeated Bronson Reed at Clash in Paris in August 2025, Reed and Bron Breakker attacked Reigns, and he was eventually stretchered out of the arena.

WWE presented the assault as a serious injury, complete with hospital evaluations, while the storyline allowed Reigns time away to film Street Fighter.

But Hollywood isn't necessarily a one-time stop for the former champion.

"Wrestling is a rough, rough way of earning a living," Reigns told ExtraTV, adding that he wants to continue exploring opportunities in acting and other creative projects.

"I'm a husband and father first. That's always going to be my priority," he explained, while also crediting WWE with supporting him during an earlier chapter of his life.

And when the conversation turned to which WWE executive could hold his own in a real-life Street Fighter battle, Reigns had an answer.

"I'll go with Triple H right now," he said, pointing to the WWE executive's physical credentials.