There’s a little more of Joe Anoa’i in Roman Reigns these days
WWE superstar Roman Reigns expresses what it means to wrestle at WrestleMania after his battle with leukemia. (1:00)
It’s only now Roman Reigns fully recognizes what went down that night in Providence, Rhode Island. It was late October on “Monday Night Raw,” and as he made his way from the locker room to the familiar sound of heckling fans, Reigns had a lot on his mind. But he was at a loss for words.
Sporting his out-of-competition attire — tight black T-shirt, jeans, hair pulled back — and with a shiny red-and-gold championship belt slung proudly over his shoulder, Reigns remained stony-eyed walking into the ring. For all the bumps and bruises he had taken in his career, nothing would be as painful as the message he was about to deliver.
Win or lose against Drew McIntyre come WrestleMania, one thing is for certain: Roman Reigns won’t walk away from MetLife Stadium as the Universal champion. And it’s a fairly unusual position to be in for Reigns, who has had four stints as the WWE and Universal champ dating back to 2015.
But there is a slice of silver lining. There’s a good shot his buddy and longtime Shield member, Seth Rollins, will emerge from Mania with the most coveted hardware on Monday Night Raw. On Sunday, Rollins will attempt to dethrone Brock Lesnar.
“I’ve been on the road with Seth for a long time,” Reigns said. “I can tell you I know the level of time and commitment he’s put in. As soon as I saw him win the Royal Rumble, I said, ‘No one deserves this as much as you.'”
Rollins has been on the upswing for a year and a half since coming back injury. The timing now seems appropriate, even if it’s at the expense of Reigns’ own endeavors. Reigns, who said Rollins would be a great representative as a full-time champion, still maintains his aspirations have not changed. He believes he’s the Big Dog, even if the current scenario suggests otherwise. “I want to be where I was with Universal championship around my waist, but there is going to be a process,” he said.
Meaning he’s OK relegating himself as Rollins’ protector and brother. For now. But when asked whether Rollins should watch his back, Reigns did not hesitate to answer.
“Absolutely! He has what is mine.”
The ground beneath him began to shake violently. His career, a passion he’d poured everything into, was in doubt. He was tearing himself apart, because as quickly as Reigns had risen through the ranks of the WWE as the main-event guy, he had to tell the world he was mortal. That he was sick. That he was Joseph Anoaʻi, a real-life person suffering from leukemia.
Reigns had known about this health and the upcoming hiatus and the relinquishing of the Universal title for about a week, but as the minutes ticked away to that night’s show, he was conflicted.
“Do I want to just say that I am not able to perform right now and just leave it at that, or do I want to share what’s going on with me?” Reigns recently said to ESPN.com. “I have always done a pretty good job of separating the character and myself. I’m pretty private, and I am still a pretty big fan of that, but I just felt this was a situation I didn’t want to keep a secret anymore. I felt like there would be a release of pressure if the people knew what was going on with me.”
Reigns revealed all. A strong contrast from the first time he was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 22, when only those in his inner circle knew what was going on. He understood his announcement was going to elicit a strong reaction, even though at the time he wasn’t exactly sure what that would be.
His intent was never to make this a story of pity or the rise and fall of the “Big Dog.” But Reigns felt obliged to embrace the fear, because stepping away from his superstar persona and looking the fans into their eyes and speaking with full transparency meant those with life-threatening illness could relate. And he could give them hope — even if Reigns himself was just as frightened.
He maintained a brave face that night and told us the story of Joe, a common man who is scared but strong. Reigns didn’t need a belt to engage in this fight against a worthy opponent. He just needed time and treatment, support and love.
For nearly a half a year, outside a handful of public appearances, Reigns remained relatively quiet until it was announced in late February he was going to return to Raw for a health update.
The wait “felt like an eternity,” but the moment would be worth it.
‘I’m in remission, y’all’