Cody Rhodes Films Street Fighter Scene During Daughter's Birth
Cody Rhodes reveals he was lying in a body pool on the Street Fighter set when his second daughter, Leilani, arrived.
Key points
- Cody Rhodes was filming the Street Fighter movie when his second daughter, Leilani Ella Runnels, was born.
- Brandi Rhodes announced the birth on August 29, 2025, surprising fans who did not know she was pregnant.
- Rhodes revealed he was in a body pool with other actors when he received the news on his phone.
The air in the body pool was thick with sweat and the sharp scent of antiseptic. Cody Rhodes lay submerged among a cluster of performers, their limbs tangled in the murky water. It was a moment of suspended animation, a choreographed defeat where silence was the only currency that mattered. Then, a vibration cut through the stillness. He looked down at his phone, the screen glowing with a message that shattered the fiction of the set. His second daughter had entered the world while he was playing a victim.
The birth of Leilani Ella Runnels was announced on August 29, 2025, catching the wrestling world in a state of stunned surprise. Brandi Rhodes had kept the pregnancy a closely guarded secret, leaving fans and peers alike unaware of the growing life. Now, Rhodes has stepped out of the ring and into the spotlight of a different industry to recount the chaos of that specific afternoon. The story, shared via Fightful, blends the gritty reality of a film set with the profound intimacy of a new arrival.
Chaos in the body pool
Rhodes described the scene as a struggle for dignity amidst physical comedy. He and the cast were supposed to be defeated by Bison’s crew, a moment intended to be serious and quiet. Instead, the atmosphere was broken by Andrew Schultz, who kept loudly farting. Rhodes, who viewed Schultz as a sophisticated comic, was baffled by the sudden shift to crude humor. The lines were constantly messed up, the takes disrupted, and the crew frantically trying to salvage the scene. It was a cacophony of noise and motion, a far cry from the solemnity of the moment he was about to witness.
The contrast between the artificial noise of the set and the quiet miracle of birth created a surreal dissonance. While the actors grappled with their lines and the director called for another take, Rhodes was mentally elsewhere. The phone screen was a portal to a different reality, one filled with the urgent, life-affirming energy of a hospital room. The body pool, usually a symbol of defeat, became a strange, cold waiting room for a father. He was trapped in a role, yet the most important role of his life was happening without him.
A secret kept from fans
The announcement of Leilani’s birth was a bombshell in the wrestling community. Brandi Rhodes had managed to keep the pregnancy hidden from virtually everyone, a feat of discretion in an era of constant social media exposure. The surprise was palpable, a testament to the couple’s desire to protect their privacy amidst the glare of celebrity. It was a private joy, shielded from the public eye until the very moment the news broke. The wrestling world, often loud and invasive, was forced into a moment of collective awe and surprise.
This level of secrecy is rare, especially for a family so deeply embedded in the public sphere. The lack of prior knowledge meant that the birth was received not as an expected update, but as a genuine gift. It was a reminder that behind the spectacles of professional wrestling, there are ordinary, profound human moments that no one can script or predict. The surprise added a layer of warmth to the news, a shared moment of happiness for the fans who felt included in the family’s joy.
Future plans for the ring
Beyond the personal milestones, Rhodes has also hinted at his professional future. In a separate interview, he expressed a desire to return with a black cowboy hat after WrestleMania 41. This potential change in attire signals a new chapter in his character’s evolution. It is a small detail, but one that carries significant weight in the world of wrestling, where every accessory is a statement. The black hat could symbolize a darker, more introspective phase, a departure from his previous personas.
As he navigates the demands of both Hollywood and the ring, Rhodes is balancing two very different worlds. The body pool of Street Fighter and the squared circle of WWE are both stages, but they require different kinds of performance. One is about portraying a fictional defeat, the other about achieving a real victory. Yet, in both, the core challenge remains the same: to be present, to be authentic, and to deliver a performance that resonates with the audience. Whether he is lying in a pool or standing in a ring, Cody Rhodes is always in the middle of the story.
