Wrestler Roman Reigns made his exciting return to WWE Raw on Monday night with an incredible announcement about his cancer — “I’m in remission, y’all,” Reigns told the crowd, who promptly erupted in cheers. And on Tuesday morning, he appeared on Good Morning America to talk more about his health with Robin Roberts, namely how much the support from his family and fans has helped him.
“The first time it felt like I was on an island by myself, and this time I just felt like I was surrounded by guardian angels,” Reigns told Roberts. “The terrors and fears that I had were quickly alleviated as soon as I felt that outreach.”
In October 2018, Reigns—real name Leati Joseph “Joe” Anoaʻi—announced that he’d been living with leukemia for 11 years, and that the cancer was back after a long period of remission. Reigns relinquished the Universal Championship and took a hiatus from Raw. You can see a video of that emotional speech here.
“I’m not gonna lie, before my announcement in October, I was terrified, y’all,” Reigns said in the ring Monday night. “I was scared. I was insecure, and I didn’t really know if I wanted to share that secret with the world.”
The crowd chanted his name in support—which was timely, as the wrestler went on to thank his fans for being so supportive of him.
“That overwhelming support that you gave me, it gave me strength, it gave me new life, it gave me a new opportunity and it gave me a new purpose,” he said. “You see, here in WWE, a lot of your purpose as a young superstar is to win titles and climb that mountain and achieve the top and put your flag in. And that’s still very important, but for me, the only thing that is important is that I have the ability to step foot in this ring every single night.
“And if I can do that,” he continued, “I’m gonna use this platform … to raise awareness, and I’m gonna use it to support those who are in need just like I was.”
Finally, he made the announcement that his leukemia is in remission: “The Big Dog is back,” he said.
In his interview with Roberts, Reigns added that he’s not just going to talk about cancer, but he’s in “the process of creating funds and foundations to help.”
