TOP TEN STORIES
REIGNS REVEALS LEUKEMIA DIAGNOSIS; VACATES UNIVERSAL TITLE
ROMAN REIGNS’ revelation on the October 22 edition of Raw, that he would be going on hiatus to fight a recurrence of leukemia stunned the crowd in Providence, Rhode Island, the millions watching at home, his colleagues backstage, and the Smackdown roster 150 miles away in White Plains, New York.
It was hard to find a precedent. Lou Gehrig’s July 4, 1939, speech at Yankee Stadium, bidding farewell to baseball due to ALS, is remembered as the saddest and most inspirational moment in sports history. In wrestling, there are many tragic stories of promising careers cut short, from Magnum T.A. to the Von Erichs.
Everyone is praying that Reigns’ story will have a better outcome.
Reigns entered the arena as boos among the adult-male demographic intensified. He soaked it in for a moment and then began to speak. “I feel like I owe everybody an apology,” referring to his promises to be a fighting champion. “But it’s all lies …”
Few people knew where he was going. He continued, “It’s a lie because the reality is my name is Joe and I’ve been living with leukemia for 11 years.” The mood in the Dunkin’ Donuts Center immediately changed. Reigns paused. “And, unfortunately, it’s back.”
Reigns announced that he was relinquishing the WWE Universal championship, a title he’d been chasing for over three years and was now forced to vacate only one month after winning it at SummerSlam.
“Sometimes life throws you a curveball, and right now the best thing for me to do is go home, to focus on my family and my health,” said Reigns. “But I want to make one thing clear: By no means is this a retirement speech, because, after I’m done whoopin’ leukemia’s ass once again, I’m coming back home.
“I will beat this and I will be back, so you will see me very, very soon,” vowed the second-generation superstar. “Thank you so much, God bless you, and I love you … Believe that.”
Perhaps the most dramatic footage of the night was shown on wwe.com, as cameras followed Reigns through the backstage area. Triple-H and Shawn Michaels greeted him with hugs and encouragement. Friends and foes alike embraced him, from Shield brothers Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose to Paul Heyman and Braun Strowman.
It was not widely known that Reigns had fought leukemia into remission 10 years earlier. The announcement came as a complete surprise for most.
Given his celebrity status, Reigns didn’t have much choice but to go public with the diagnosis. He had already given thought to creating a foundation for leukemia awareness. Leukemia is a group of cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal white cells, resulting in chronic fatigue and increased risk of infections, and is potentially deadly. Reigns started treatment on November 8.
After years of trying, Reigns was just gaining some real momentum as the face of the company, following his victory over an
