The band from Arkansas-Pine Bluff plays the theme song by Cody Rhodes

Although the Arkansas Razorbacks won on the field against the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions, the Golden Lions’ band won over the fans in the stands.

On Thursday, the Arkansas-Pine Bluff band, dubbed the “Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South,” performed a version of WWE star Cody Rhodes’ theme song “Kingdom” during the game.

Rhodes faced Kevin Owens in the undisputed WWE title match at the Bash in Berlin on Saturday. Rhodes defeated Owens to remain the undisputed WWE champion.

Before his match, Rhodes heard the band perform his theme song and expressed his excitement about the performance, saying he would play the band’s version once or twice in the locker room.

Berlin had already made me enthusiastic #WWEBash

But THIS might be played out one or two more times in the locker room before my match today.

Great stuff @UAPBM4 ❤️https://t.co/cYA5lcG8Lw

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) August 31, 2024

The band’s full performance went viral on X, having been viewed over 866,000 times by Saturday evening.

John Graham, director of bands at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, said the band members were hesitant at first when they first got the piece. But as they rehearsed the song, they grew to love it.

“When our arranger put the song down on paper for us, I looked at it and a number of students shook their heads and thought, ‘No, why are we playing this?’ When we went to rehearse it, the piece came to life,” Graham told ESPN.

“I said, ‘This is going to happen.’”

“Kingdom” wasn’t arranged for the Golden Lions-Razorbacks game, but instead was intended as a piece to be used later in the season. Graham, however, saw the Arkansas game as the perfect opportunity to debut the song in the stands.

When Graham gave the starting signal for the number, the stadium filled with excitement.

“As soon as I dropped the hammer and we started playing, I looked over and saw the fans reacting like, ‘They’re playing ‘Kingdom,'” Graham said. “I saw them standing up with excitement and positive reactions, and I said to myself, ‘We’re here now.’ It was a beautiful moment.”