UAPB band reflects on trip to perform Cody Rhodes theme at WWE Bad Blood

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South Band has returned home from Atlanta with an accomplishment they can be proud of for life.

It all started when the Golden Lions played the University of Arkansas Razorbacks at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

During the game, the band performed “Kingdom” the entrance music of WWE star Cody Rhodes during the game.

When video of the performance appeared online, it soon gained thousands of views and shares including the attention of Rhodes himself.

Rhodes reached out and asked the band to perform at WWE’s Bad Blood event which was the trip of a lifetime.

“Just seeing all the celebrities and wrestlers, it was just like a wow factor,” drum major Elijah Washington said. “By the time the performance came, all of the people singing along, it was crazy.”

Some band members say it was an opportunity they never saw coming, but for Benjamin Taylor it was a dream come true.

“Every night around 6 o’clock, Monday Night Raw, Friday night Smackdown, you have to catch it,” band member Benjamin Taylor said. “We never had the time or money to go and then I get to go and perform for free in it.”

Taylor said he always wanted to become a professional wrestler, but never knew his love for music would allow him to meet the people he admired.

“It was just an unreal experience, just real happy in that moment,” Taylor said.

Band director John Graham Jr. says that he’s still blown away by how it all happened.

“It was like watching a movie being made right in front of us,” Graham said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLRT - FOX16.com.