Reel Ad of the Week

Roman Reigns brings Akuma’s fury to The General

By Reel Chicago
October 7, 2026

Getting dropped by your insurance company can feel like a fight. So The General and BBDO Chicago decided to make it one.

In the latest installment of the brand’s “The Break” platform, Joe Anoa’i, better known to WWE fans as Roman Reigns, steps into the role of Akuma from the upcoming live-action Street Fighter film and turns one driver’s insurance frustration into a full-blown battle.

The spot begins with a customer named Steve explaining that dealing with his previous insurer felt like “taking on Akuma in Street Fighter.” And then his imagination takes over. Suddenly, Steve is literally fighting Akuma, with Reigns unleashing the kind of punishment normally reserved for the final round of an arcade game.

The exaggerated battle makes the point quickly: insurance shouldn’t feel this difficult. When Steve turns to The General, the contrast couldn’t be simpler. No fighting. No combos. No cheap shots.

Just a handshake. Watch below:

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“Dealing with your insurer shouldn’t feel like getting hit with a Hadoken,” said Josh Gross, Chief Creative Officer at BBDO Chicago. “The General doesn’t do combos or cheap shots, they just show up for you. Combining the worlds of Street Fighter and The General was too irresistible to pass up.”

The campaign marks the fourth wave of creative under “The Break,” The General’s platform built around giving drivers a break when they need one most. The work draws on research showing that many consumers feel judged or dismissed by insurers because of their driving history or circumstances.

BBDO Chicago uses the Street Fighter world to turn that frustration into something instantly recognizable – and considerably more entertaining.

For The General, the partnership also gives the brand a culturally relevant way to dramatize its longstanding positioning around accessibility. “At The General, giving people a break isn’t just something we say. It’s the lens we use to think about how we can make insurance easier for our customers,” said Chauncey Citchens, Director of Marketing at The General Insurance.

“Partnering with Street Fighter gives us a fun, culturally relevant way to bring that story to life. In a world built around epic battles, we can show drivers that getting the service and rates they deserve shouldn’t have to feel like one.”

Reigns, meanwhile, gets to bridge two massive fan bases. “While WWE fans acknowledge their Tribal Chief, they and Street Fighter fans are about to be introduced to a very different side of me as Akuma,” Anoa’i said. “That’s what made this spot with The General so much fun. We get to bring these different worlds together.”

The campaign also builds on The General’s existing relationship with WWE, where the brand serves as a premier insurance sponsor.

The work is rolling out across linear TV, streaming, OTT, CTV, online video, cinema and paid social, including Meta, TikTok and Twitch.

The best brand tie-ins don’t simply borrow pop culture. They find a reason for the worlds to collide.

Here, the connection is almost absurdly clean: insurance frustration feels like a fight, Street Fighter is literally built around fighting, and Roman Reigns is exactly the guy you want throwing the punches.

That makes The General and BBDO Chicago’s latest an easy choice for Reel Chicago’s Ad of the Week.

CREDITS:

BRAND: The General Insurance