WWE Superstar and current Universal Champion Roman Reigns shocked the world on Monday night, when he announced that he would be renouncing his title. Reigns also revealed that he has been living with leukemia for the past 11 years, and that its return has been the cause of his sudden withdrawal from the WWE.
“I will beat this, I will be back, and you will see me very, very soon,” he told the audience. He added that this is not a retirement from WWE, and that after he’s done “whooping leukemia’s a8s once again”, he’s coming back to reclaim his Universal Champion title. Watch the announcement below.
.@WWERomanReigns has to relinquish the Universal Championship due to a battle with leukemia. #Raw
Reigns Assured Fans That He Is Not Retiring from the WWE
“You know the deal, you know how life is. Life is not fair, it’s not all peaches and cream,” he said. “Sometimes life throws you a curve ball. And right now the best thing for me to do is to go home, to focus on my family and my health.”
Reigns continued, explaining the severity of his condition. “I want to make one thing clear, by no means is this a retirement speech. Because after I’m done whooping leukemia’s a*s once again I’m coming back home,” he said. “And when I do, it’s not just going to be about titles and being on top, no it’s about a purpose. I am coming back because I want to show all of you, the whole world, I want to show my family, my friends, my children and my wife, that when life throws a curve ball at me, I am the type of man that will stand in that batter’s box, I will crowd the plate, I will choke up and I will swing for the fences every single time. Because I will beat this and I will be back and you will see me very, very soon.”
There Was Speculation That Reigns Was Injured Prior to His Announcement
This comes after days of speculation over whether or not Reigns would participate in future PPV events. According to Mandatory, there were some who believed that Reigns was injured, and was therefore spotted wearing regular clothes during WWE workouts. The fact that Reigns was given the weekend off from live events also raised some suspicions and created some rumors that he could be stepping away from the limelight.
After a rousing speech, Reigns made his way up the entrance ramp, where he was greeted by fellow Shield members Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. They all hugged, and each of them cried as they went backstage.
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WATCH: Roman Reigns Announces He Has Leukemia