Roman Reigns, NJPW, & Vince Release Statements, More on Who Knew

Roman Reigns has been one of WWE’s top superstars for a number of years now. It was shocking to hear Reigns announce on Raw last night that he is battling leukemia once again. Reigns has been dealing with the illness for over a decade, but it has only recently just returned. As a result, Roman relinquished the Universal Championship, but “The Big Dog” promised that he will beat the disease again and return to the ring in the future. Nearly all of the pro wrestling landscape has sent out their thoughts and well wishes for a speedy recovery to Roman Reigns, but Roman himself has just put out a statement commenting on the devastating news that he revealed to the world during yesterday’s episode of Raw.

Thank you to everyone who’s reached out…I can’t put into words what it means to me.
Your energy and positivity motivate me to get better quickly to get back in the ring, but for now I’m going to spend time with my family and focus on health.
Thank you – Joe/Roman
— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) October 23, 2018

Earlier today, Roman Reigns took to Twitter to release his first message since announcing that he will be leaving the ring to fight leukemia last night. Roman thanked all of his fans and comrades in the business for the word of encouragement that have been set his way. Additionally, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has also just commented on the issue by calling Reigns a “warrior, through and through.” New Japan Pro Wrestling also wished Roman Reigns good luck, as did current IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega. With so much support from the wrestling community, hopefully Roman Reigns will be able to make a full recovery and defeat leukemia once again sooner rather than later.

A warrior, through and through. @WWERomanReigns, your entire #WWE family stands with you. #ThankYouRoman https://t.co/rJy3xYb1jo
— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) October 23, 2018

A champion transcends any company. @WWERomanReigns, on behalf of NJPW we all wish you a speedy recovery.
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) October 23, 2018

Cheering for you from the opposite side of the globe. Nothing but respect for Roman.
— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) October 23, 2018

Fans around the world were completely blindsided by Roman Reigns’ announcement last night. It also now appears that most of the crew backstage in WWE were also stunned. According to PWTorch, the other wrestlers on the roster, the creative writers, and the announcers were all not aware of Reigns’ previous history with the disease. It was noted that there were a few higher-ups in the company who were aware, but most of the backstage personnel found out right around the same time as the fans watching Roman’s promo on Raw last night. The Universal Championship will remain vacated until Crown Jewel. Be sure to stay tuned for all additional updates on the status and health of Roman Reigns.