Roman Reigns will step away from the ring after his cancer returned.
Roman Reigns, one of WWE's biggest stars, has announced that his real-life battle with leukemia will force him to step away from the ring. Reigns, whose real name is Joe Anoa'i, made the shocking revealation on Monday's episode of WWE Raw.
The 33-year-old Roman Reigns also relinquished his WWE Universal Championship title. Reigns said he was originally diagnosed back in 2008. Though he quickly went into remission, he has been fighting the cancer since.
"... the reality is my name is Joe and I've been living with leukemia for 11 years and unfortunately it's back," Reigns said. "Because the leukemia is back, I can't fulfill my role. I can't be that fighting champion and I'm going to have to relinquish the universal championship. I'm not going to lie, I'll take every prayer you can send my way but I'm not looking for sympathy, I'm not looking for you to feel bad for me because I have faith."
However, Reigns told the fans that Monday would not be his final day in a WWE ring.
"Sometimes life throws you a curveball and the best thing for me to do is to go home and focus on my health," Anoa'i said. "But I want to make one thing clear: By no means is this a retirement speech because after I'm done whupping leukemia's ass, I'm coming back home. And when I do, it's not going to be about titles and being on top, it's about a purpose."
"I'm coming back because I want to show you all at home and my family and my children and my wife that when life throws a curveball at me, I will choke up and I will swing for the fences every single time. I will beat this and I will be back so you will see me very, very soon."
WWE also released a statement: "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."
Following Reigns' announcement, his Shield brother Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose joined him atop the entrance ramp.
Anoa'i comes from a royal pro wrestling family of Samoan heritage. He is cousins with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, the Usos, Rikishi, The Tonga Kid and the late Yokozuna and Umaga. He's the son of WWE Hall of Famer Sika of the Wild Samoans and the brother for former WWE superstar Rosey, who died in 2017.
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