It has been four months since WWE superstar Roman Reigns courageously announced during an episode of Monday Night Raw that his real-life battle with leukemia was forcing him to relinquish the universal title and step away from the ring effective immediately. Fans waiting with baited breath for an update on Reigns's cancer battle will receive an update this Monday night when Reigns returns to WWE television for the first time since his announcement to share the latest on his health.
The 33-year-old Reigns, real name Joe Anoa'i, was originally diagnosed with leukemia back in 2008 at age 22. Though he quickly went into remission at that time, he has been fighting the disease since.
WWE's biggest active star, Reigns's announcement back on Oct. 22, 2018, sent shock waves throughout the sports and entertainment world. The former Georgia Tech football standout has appeared in the main event of the last four WrestleManias and promised that night that fans would see him in the ring again.
Though he has not appeared on WWE TV in months, Reigns has occasionally been seen in public. He has looked good, sporting a larger beard, in fan photos that have been posted online. He also attended a Georgia Tech football game last fall after his sabbatical from WWE began and filmed a cameo in "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw," which is set for an August release.
Raw will be in Atlanta on Monday night, which happens to be where Georgia Tech is located. WWE had previously been promoting a celebration for Ric Flair's 70th birthday on the show.
Anoa'i comes from a royal pro wrestling family of Samoan heritage. Along with being cousins with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, he's the son of WWE Hall of Famer Sika of the Wild Samoans and the brother for former WWE superstar Rosey, who died in 2017. Anoa'i, whose given first name is Leati, is also cousins with The Usos, Rikishi, The Tonga Kid and the late Yokozuna and Umaga.
Following the end of his football career, which featured brief stops in the NFL and CFL, Anoa'i signed a developmental deal with WWE in 2010. He made his main roster debut in 2012 as a member of The Shield and quickly rose to fame having won nearly every major title, including three reigns as WWE champion and his most recent run as universal champion following a victory over Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.
