Roman Reigns is one of the most popular WWE Superstars to come out of the company's Modern Era. His "Tribal Chief" gimmick has earned him high praise both in and out of the professional wrestling industry, and his multiple title reigns, including his over-1000 day reign with the WWE Universal Championship, are testaments to his wild popularity and indescribably dominant in-ring career. Wrestling titles may litter his walls and fill his resum, but perhaps one of Reigns' most admirable accolades exists outside of the ring. Roman Reigns, also known as Joe Anoa'i, is a leukemia survivor.
New fans only familiar with "The Tribal Chief's" recent reign of dominance may be shocked to find out that Reigns has dealt, and is currently dealing with, a typically-debilitating disease, but this is far from new information. Reigns has been open with his chronic condition, especially as it pertains to his life's struggles. As it stands, leukemia, a type of cancer impacting the body's ability to produce blood in all its components, is incurable, and Reigns will have to manage this diagnosis for the rest of his life. While such information may cause despair to some, Reigns has rose to the occasion. Reigns' battle with leukemia is a saga of tribulation, success, despair, and hope: all met with his trademark resilience and strength. Through his performances of both in- and out-of-ring resilience, Reigns has made himself into a testament of what can be for those struggling with leukemia and other cancers.
Reigns' leukemia story begins in 2007, back when he was a defensive lineman for Georgia Tech's Yellow Jackets. He was 22 years old, with an enviable collegiate football career that earned him All-ACC first-team honors and a position with the Minnesota Vikings in their rookie camp. The path to the NFL seemed to be straightforward, and with his first child on the way, Anoa'i's professional football career couldn't begin soon enough.
The chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) diagnosis crushed those dreams overnight. According to the American Cancer Society, CML is a cancer of blood-creating cells in a person's bone marrow particularly, infection-fighting white blood cells. Leukemia-ridden white blood cells inCML patientsmature only partially, but with longer lifespans. This leads to blood cell crowding in bone marrow, thus inhibiting the formation of healthy, mature blood cells. CML patients are left with a weakened immune response, and should leukemia cells leave a person's bone marrow and enter their bloodstream, organ function and efficiency may be compromised.
In an"ImPAULSIVE"exclusive, Reigns recounted his early leukemia diagnosis. Reigns, a recent Division I collegiate athlete presumed to be in peak physical health, discovered his leukemia during a typical physical exam, andwhile he was able to quickly treat his leukemia and enter cancer remission (a state in which where his leukemia becomes dormant) the damage to his professional football career was done. The Minnesota Vikings dropped Reigns within a month of his initial diagnosis, and after less-than-memorable stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos (the former of which only lasted five days), Reigns' professional football career was done.
While Reigns absolutely had his own shortcomings outside of the doctor's office, his otherwise-strong post-collegiate football career was stopped in its tracks by a chronic condition diagnosis, and it never recovered. Later, Reigns cited this era as one of the hardest of his life.
With his professional football dreams dashed, Reigns turned to the family business. He debuted as Roman Leakee in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) in 2010, before debuting on "NXT" as Roman Reigns in 2012. For the next six years, Reigns rocketed up the ranks of WWE, going from SHIELD member to WrestleMania main-eventer. By 2018, he had claimed nearly every title the main roster had to offer, from the WWE Tag Team Championships and both mid-card titles to the coveted, historic WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The sky seemed to be the limit for Reigns in October 2018, during which he was boasting a 64-day reign with the WWE Universal Championship after dethroning Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam of that year.
Reigns re-discovered his leukemia following, again, typical blood work from WWE's medical staff. In an episode of "Chronicle," Reigns recounted performing routine blood work during a live event weekend before arriving to "WWE Raw" the following Monday, where he was told by WWE's medical staff that his tests indicated an elevated white blood cell count (via Bleacher Report). While an elevated white blood cell count is not grounds for an immediate an automatic leukemia diagnosis, such information can indicate that leukemia cells are leaving the patient's bone marrow and entering the bloodstream, thus triggering an immune response from the body. Given Reigns' previous history with leukemia, WWE's medical staff attributed the worrying information to a resurgence in cancer.
October 22 was a hard night for Reigns. He pulled back the curtain for the WWE Universe, and after speaking candidly about his struggles on the field and with leukemia, he officially relinquished the title in front of a sea of supportive fans. While leukemia is not an easy disease to combat, Reigns was sure everyone knew that this was not to be another NFL story. He was far from done with his in-ring career.
In his October address, Reigns promised the WWE Universe that "once [he] was done whooping leukemia's a** once again, he was coming home." That homecoming came in February 2019, when "The Big Dog" returned to WWE programming in late February to give an update regarding his leukemia. The crowds that once booed him out of stadiums now chanted his name as he spoke candidly about his fears and insecurities not just with leukemia, but with bearing his personal life out to the fans. Fans leapt out of their seats as Reigns announced that he was in remission, and that "the Big Dog was back" in WWE.
It didn't take long for Reigns to re-enter the upper echelons of the WWE card. Shortly after his remission announcement, Reigns was back in in-ring action alongside Seth Rollins and Dean Ambroise (now known as AEW's Jon Moxley) as the reunited SHIELD took on Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, and Drew McIntyre in the main event of that year's Fastlane event. Reigns continued to feud with McIntyre heading into WrestleMania 35, where Reigns walked out with a win to cap off his leukemia comeback story. Both showings from Reigns continue to garner positive reviews from fans, with his Fastlane Six-Man Tag Match raking in a 7.61/10 ranking based on 196 votes on Cagematch, and his WrestleMania 35 match with McIntyre currently clocking in at a 8.12/10 ranking based on 250 votes, also on Cagematch. Reigns' four-month battle with leukemia did not pump the brakes on his constantly-improving in-ring presence, and his second victory over leukemia has since provided the WWE Universe with great matches and memorable moments.
While Reigns has been in remission since 2019, leukemia is a lifelong battle. As such, many of Reigns' decisions, both in and out of the ring, have been informed by his condition.
The COVID-19 pandemic was not easy for anyone, but as WWE was forced to move its events to the quiet isolation of the WWE Performance Center, Reigns, left immunocompromised from his two fights with leukemia, was cornered into some difficult decisions. His choice to pull out of his WrestleMania 36 match against Goldberg was controversial, and while Braun Strowman replaced him to win the WWE Universal Championship, Reigns stepped away from the ring once more amidst COVID-related concerns for his family and health, as disclosed on a 2020 episode of "After The Bell." Reigns' WrestleMania 36 absence was certainly felt, but the benefits Reigns eventually reaped from his absence were historic. His SummerSlam 2020 return and debut as "The Tribal Chief" catapulted him into stardom.
Leukemia continues to influence Reigns' decisions today. Reigns was seen wrestling with a mask when a match against "The Demon" Finn Balor at Extreme Rules 2021 forced him into the crowd, and it has been reported that Reigns' set of veneers were obtained following tooth decay from chemotherapy. Reigns' leukemia status came into question following a comment from Pat McAfee during Reigns' WrestleMania 41 match against Rollins and CM Punk, where Reigns clarified that, while he is in remission, he is on oral chemotherapy treatment. The side effects of such treatment can still be disastrous on the body, and in a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Reigns outlined his intentions to look towards less-physical forms of entertainment in the near future.
Reigns has bested nearly everyone on the WWE roster. Yet, some of his most admirable victories come from his real-life struggles with leukemia. Remission is a long-term condition, but a temporary one. Reigns' condition may flare up at any time in the future. Should it resurface, however, Reigns has proved, twice now, that he is up for the fight.
