Reports are indicating that WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash holds the view that Roman Reigns’ involvement in the brand-new Street Fighter movie may have influenced WWE’s decision to keep the World Heavyweight Strap on him at Money in the Bank 2026.
Reigns successfully defended his crown against LA Knight at the October 10 premium live special event, despite speculation that Knight could capture the championship.
During the latest airing of his Kliq This podcast, Nash discussed the clash and offered his theory about why WWE ultimately decided against a crown change.
Nash began by praising both competitors and highlighting the effectiveness of the contest’s near falls. “I thought LA Knight was impressive. I thought Roman was great. I thought there were some great false finishes,” Nash said. Interestingly enough, however, Nash proposed that WWE may have considered Reigns’ approaching Hollywood promotional commitments when determining the outcome. “Come Monday, Street Fighter has its sizable premiere in Los Angeles … It’s Street Fighter. Building on that, you’ve got Roman as one of the featured guys.”
Citing Nash, having Reigns attend the film’s premiere as the reigning World Heavyweight Gold holder would provide WWE with a more valuable promotional opportunity than having him appear shortly after losing the strap. “Do you want the water cooler jargon to be, ‘Hey, that guy in the movie, he used to be the WWE champion up until Saturday when he got conquered,’ or do you just say, ‘Hey, man, that’s the WWE champion’?”
Particularly when they can represent their promotion while holding its top strap, nash argued that major Hollywood opportunities remain significant moments for professional wrestlers. “This is one of those moments in life where we don’t get these moments as pro wrestlers very often — to be on a red carpet and to be a star and to be our defending champion,” he broke down.
The one-time WWE Reigning champion went on to suggest that, when considering the timing of the film’s release. The promotional opportunities involved — Reigns retaining the prize would have been a logical business decision. “If you thought about it logically and had all this information at your fingertips, you could lay some money. Safe money that they’re probably going to want him to be the champ.”
The new Street Fighter movie, which in addition features WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes, was released on October 16, 2026.
The film currently holds a 40% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While Nash is of the opinion that Reigns’ Hollywood involvement may have factored into WWE’s decision, his comments represent personal speculation rather than acknowledged information regarding the company’s creative plans.
WWE has not publicly indicated that Reigns’ role in Street Fighter influenced the outcome of his title defense against LA Knight.