Last night at the start of WWE Monday Night RAW, WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns announced that he has been battling leukemia for 11+ years and the cancer has returned. Because of the diagnosis, Reigns was forced to relinquish the Universal Championship after giving a heartfelt speech
After giving up the title, Reigns stated that he’ll be back “very, very soon” and thanked the fans for the support.
Following the segment on RAW, WWE released a statement on the matter:
“Tonight on Monday Night Raw, Roman Reigns (aka Joe Anoa’i) announced that he is relinquishing the WWE Universal Championship and taking a leave of absence from WWE as he once again fights leukemia, which had been in remission since late 2008. Reigns is taking his battle with leukemia public in an effort to raise awareness and funds for research in order to advance cures for the disease.”
Before Monday, Reigns was given the weekend off of live events and house shows to deal with a personal issue. In hindsight, his absences at those shows make sense. According to several reports, this news was said to be kept very secretive and many, if not all, of the talent were not aware of this news until the show began.
Following RAW, Reigns also tweeted his appreciation for all the support from his friends, coworkers and fans:
Thank you to everyone who’s reached out…I can’t put into words what it means to me.
Your energy and positivity motivate me to get better quickly to get back in the ring, but for now I’m going to spend time with my family and focus on health.
Thank you – Joe/Roman
— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) October 23, 2018
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