Roman Reigns is not only a boss in the squared circle but is also an epitome of resilience in real life. The former WWE Undisputed Universal Champion doesn’t show up in the promotion as regularly as other stars on the roster and there is a heartbreaking reason for the same: he is suffering from leukemia.

The WWE superstar was first diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia, or CML, in 2007 at the age of 22. Then, the cancer returned in 2018 pushing him to take a step back from WWE TV. He eventually returned in 2019. Since then, the life-threatening medical condition has stuck with Reigns and has been a recurring issue in his personal and professional life. After WrestleMania XL, The Original Tribal Chief instantly went on a hiatus. He finally surprised fans with his return at SummerSlam 2024 and has been a recurring face until now.

Amidst all this, an old interview between Mark Henry and The Undertaker has resurfaced three months after its release. On the Six Feet Under podcast, the Strongest Man Alive talked about how people feel disappointed that Reigns doesn’t show up often. “People talk about Roman Reigns. People forget that dude have leukemia. For him to do what he’s doing. And I heard there’s days where he don’t feel like getting up and working out and you see how good he looked at Mania?”

“For him to look like that with leukemia means that he has some days where he is so physically gone that he probably can’t get outta bed. So, I think about that as a level of toughness and greatness and how much he is elevated all the guys…,” reminded Henry.

What Mark Henry said will surely change the way fans look at Reigns; especially after Reigns’s return. Knowing that the wrestler is constantly in pain and feels weak tells us so much about his willpower. Roman Reigns has to be on medications to help himself go up and about his routine and work a physically demanding job.

In an A&E documentary that aired earlier this year, Roman Reigns said, “For leukemia, if you caught it in an early stage like I did, you’re able to take a medication, a very important medication, that I am still on to this day.”

So why is he back in the promotion despite losing his title, his faction, and also amid his health issue?

Roman Reigns is back in the WWE to take care of a family matter

It seems like wrestling really is Reigns’ passion and he doesn’t want to give up on it. Instead, he contributes to the promotion’s viewerships and ratings in the best way possible, by showing up scarcely and resting for the rest of the days when he is not there.

As of now, The Bloodline storyline requires him to show up so that things can move forward. Once his arc is done, for the time being, the legendary talent will once again be allowed to go off-camera. This is how the arrangement seems to be.

There have been some more unfortunate developments in the background. For example, Roman Reigns recently lost his uncle, Afa Anoa’i. After losing his father, this must be another heartbreaking loss that the former collegiate footballer had to face. Because of this personal family emergency, WWE may have to give him, and the rest of the Anoa’i wrestlers, some time off work to pay their due respect to their lost family member and wrestling legend.

This is probably what is delaying one of The Usos from coming back. People have been patiently waiting for Jimmy Uso’s return but have no clue as to what’s planned ahead. Pro wrestling fans will have to wait patiently to see what happens next.

Isn’t it inspiring to know about how Roman Reigns fights through leukemia to work in such a physically demanding environment while also looking good?