Since the day Roman Reigns set foot in the ring in 2010, he has been fighting two battles at the same time. While we saw one on our TV screens, the second one was fought in secret. We never got to celebrate Roman Reigns for his resilience in his battle with cancer until 2018, when he talked about his fight with leukemia from inside the ring.

The WWE Universal Champion was diagnosed with cancer in his early adulthood. He spent nearly a decade in WWE without ever letting it become part of public knowledge.

Roman Reigns and leukemia before his WWE career

Leukemia is a cancer that affects the body’s blood-forming tissues. There are different types of leukemia. Reigns suffers from a type called chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). He was diagnosed with it in 2007 at the age of 22.

The diagnosis came right at the beginning of his potential football career. Just like his distant cousin, Dwayne Johnson, Roman Reigns has always been a fan of football. He ended his football career in the wake of his cancer diagnosis after brief stints with multiple teams .

When he appeared on Logan Paul’s podcast ‘Impaulsive’, Reigns opened up about the frightening experience of discovering cancer for the first time. When he got tested at the ‘rookie camp’, medical professionals found his WBCs “attacking something“. His worst probable nightmare came true as he recalled the unfortunate day on the podcast, “Had a fairly good practice, and then we watch film. As soon as I came out of film, the whole training staff was right there. I’m looking like man, hopefully, it’s this guy behind me that they’re getting but no, they were pointing at me.”

While talking about how he felt at the moment, Reigns revealed, “I mean, coming straight out of college, a division one football player, supposed to be kind of peak health, right? Like, you never would expect that. So it put a huge asterisk next to my name when it came to the NFL. So it was just an uphill battle from there, man.”

Realising he didn’t have a future in football, Reigns switched careers and made his debut in WWE a few years later.

Reigns’ battle with leukemia after joining WWE

After his debut in 2010, Roman Reigns found outstanding success in WWE and gained a huge fanbase. Eight years later, the twisted games of fate dragged him back to the same spot he was in when he had to leave the NFL. Reigns’ leukemia was striking back. But this time around, The Tribal Chief wasn’t ready to drop his professional life.

Fans were shocked when Reigns revealed his secret battle with cancer in 2018. The line, “my real name is Joe and I’ve been living with leukemia for 11 years” is one that no dedicated fan can forget. His resilience, which was evident during and after the speech in 2018, is the reason why his fans love him. After reassuring fans that he wasn’t retiring, Reigns went on a brief hiatus to get treatment for his cancer.

Reigns returned in 2019 and addressed his fans once again. He called himself a “man of faith” and thanked his fans for their continued prayers and support. Since then, the WWE Universal Champion has graced the squared circle many times and kept fans at the edge of their seats.

There are a number of stars in WWE who have fought cancer. Among them is Bret Hart, one of Reigns’ idols. During his return in 2019, Reigns talked about how he wanted to give back. It is his plan to use the WWE platform to spread awareness about the disease.

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Is Roman Reigns still fighting leukemia?

There is uncertainty regarding whether Reigns is still suffering from leukemia. Given the aggressive and persistent nature of the disease, it is doubtful if he has completely recovered. But since there have been no reported medical emergencies pertaining to Reigns’ leukemia, one might safely assume that he is probably doing better now.

Although the Universal WWE Champion is looking in much better shape now, one shouldn’t forget the battle he has fought for his life so far. We hope The Tribal Chief gives himself apt credit for living through a hellish disease like cancer. Hopefully, his fans will continue to pray for his cure.

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