WWE champion Roman Reigns has resigned his title due to a leukemia diagonal. The 33-year-old, who kept his illness secret from the public for eleven years, had already contracted blood cancer for the second time.
“I accept every prayer you say to me, but I do not seek sympathy, I do not want you to feel bad for me. I have faith,” Reigns told fans present at the beginning of the weekly edition of Monday Night Raw at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island.
“When I was 22 years old, I was diagnosed with leukemia and very quickly I managed to fight it and bring it to a standstill,” Reigns explained. It had been the hardest time of his life: “I had no job, I had no money, I had no home and a baby was on its way,” explained Reigns, whose real name is Leati Joseph Anoa’i. “I had no job, I had no money, I had no home and a baby was on its way.
Reigns then thanked WWE for giving him the chance to “make my dream come true”. At the end of his emotional farewell speech, Reigns resigned his WWE title, but also made it clear that this was not a farewell speech: “After kicking the ass of leukemia, I will come home again. You will see me again very soon.”