The Tragic Side Of Roman Reigns' Real Life

There can be little doubt over the status of Roman Reigns as the generational face of WWE throughout the modern era, spurred on by his 1,316 days as WWE Champion as the "Tribal Chief" and the undisputed main event attraction of this decade thus far. Reigns' journey is one chronicled extensively throughout his "WWE Legends" A&E documentary as a path to greatness, with Reigns describing the intersection between his character and his own being – Joe Anoa'i – as a fine line, one half shown and magnified to exemplify his role as the family leader. 

But it has been an uphill battle for the Reigns seen today to truly emerge in the way he intended, and the man behind the character had to overcome his own set of hurdles before either element of the "Tribal Chief" could be cemented. 

On a professional level, Reigns has stood across from the likes of John Cena, The Undertaker, Edge, Randy Orton, and Triple H, beating all of them and amassing a gold-laden resume. But it's his personal battles that have shaped the legacy of his persona, proven when Reigns leaned into his own vision of himself upon his return in 2020, the first marked shift in the way fans perceived his run at the top. 

The intertwining of Reigns as the face of WWE with his role within the storied Anoa'i wrestling dynasty shone the light on the organic half of Reigns that fans had clamored for. For as much as he has had to endure an uphill battle as a WWE Superstar in the eyes of the creators and the consumers, real life has continued to churn away where the cameras don't follow, and there have been a number of defining moments of tragedy laid on the road to becoming the "Head of the Table" fans love to adore or abhor today.

Perhaps the most significant of these hurdles was perhaps also the first time WWE fans truly saw the distinction between Reigns and Anoa'i, as in 2018 he would speak to the audience as Joseph Anoa'i to announce his leukemia had returned and he would be taking a hiatus.

Reigns was first diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 22 in 2007, coming at a time when he had just signed to play in the NFL – he was released a month later – and while he and his wife were expecting their first child together. 

"As soon as I walk out of the meeting room, two of the trainers are there to pull me off to the side to tell me that there is something going on with my blood work and the results were pretty much the same. I had 70,000 white blood cells," he told Stacey Sager of the SagerStrong Foundation. "And from there, the team made contacts for me to get me home and to get me an oncologist. From that moment on, I relied on my mom and my family to guide me through it. Looking back at it now I was just in shock."

Reigns has been consistent in praising his wife and mother for helping him through this difficult time, coming at a time when the pressure was on him to be the care provider while life had other plans. 

"I didn't really have anybody," he told PEOPLE. "I didn't think it was anybody's fault, I just had my wife – who was pregnant at the time. My mom, just the kind of mother she is, she was my rock, she was my support system doing all the worrying and all the praying and it felt like I was a little bit on an island."

Reigns managed to overcome his first bout with leukemia and put it into remission, but it had reared its head once again more than a decade later. This time around, Reigns was an established top guy in WWE, but that itself came with new pressures, as Reigns himself admitted his worry that the business would "leave me behind."

"You don't know what the fans is going to want," Reigns told ESPN. "And what new could come. What's that new, shiny thing that swims by? I think there was a lot of internal struggle there."

Leukemia remains an incurable disease and it's something Reigns has to live with every day, although it is once more under control and in remission. Reigns was pulled from his WrestleMania 36 main event bout with Goldberg for the Universal title he had previously had to vacate because he was immuno-compromised amidst the beginning of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. In that respect, leukemia proved to be a catalyst for change in Reigns' persona, as he would re-emerge months later alongside Paul Heyman and his new demeanor. Four years on, speaking to the media after the main event of WrestleMania Saturday, Reigns went into how he keeps the disease at bay while continuing to perform.

"I am still on oral chemotherapy," he said. "It's a medication I will have to remain on my entire life, most likely. That's a part of my personal battle. Thank God, I'm still able to perform. I think anybody in my position would say health is wealth, and as long as I can continue to perform, then you know that is at bay. We're good, still in remission, but it is something that is still a part of my life."

Prior to following his family roots into professional wrestling, Reigns was the latest in the line of Anoa'i family members to don the cleats and shoulder pads as a footballer at high school and collegiate level. He played three years with Pensacola Catholic High School and one year at Escambia High School, going to Georgia Tech University and playing for their Yellow Jackets football team as a three-year starter beginning in his sophomore year; he was one of the team captains as a senior. Pursuing his goal of playing in the NFL, Reigns was undrafted in the 2007 draft before signing as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings – it was here that he would get his first diagnosis of leukemia. 

He'd sustain his attempt at the goal by signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars that same summer, but he was released a week before the season started and would return in 2008 to play with the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League. After a season total of five games with three starts, he was released and retired from football. 

In his "WWE Legends" documentary, it's told how Reigns worked at his sister Vanessa's office furniture store after his football career stalled. He recalled his father, Sika Anoa'i, asking him when he planned on entering the world of wrestling, and Reigns said he was ready to go at that moment. His first wrestling gig came at a time when a gainful change was needed, as he had recalled wanting more and had landed himself in some trouble. 

Mere weeks before he signed a developmental deal with WWE, debuting in August at Roman Leakee in Florida Championship Wrestling, Anoa'i was arrested for disorderly conduct, intoxication, affray, unlawful assembly, and riot in Pensacola, and was subsequently released on $1,000 bond with charges of $500 for each offense.

Reigns' journey to become the reigning WWE Champion was far from a simple task; faced with seemingly eternal backlash for every movement in the ring and word spoken on the microphone, Reigns was showered with boos both during and after his Royal Rumble win in January 2015 and his subsequent maiden world title match at WrestleMania 31. With the looming threat of the newly-crowned babyface being rejected in the main event of the "Grandest Stage of Them All," Seth Rollins made his way down to the ring and cashed in Money in the Bank, pinning Reigns to become champion and postponing his coronation. 

It took three times after that for Reigns to lift the title and truly keep it, starting at Survivor Series later that year and culminating with a final title win against Triple H at WrestleMania 32. After two well-received title defenses against AJ Styles, Reigns was scheduled to face Rollins once again at Money in the Bank 2016, and would surprisingly drop the title clean on the night. That was because of a Wellness Policy violation on the behalf of Reigns, known to WWE prior to the event and prompting the decision to get the title off of him, owing to the presence of Adderall. 

As a result of the violation, his first, he would serve a 30-day suspension following the event, which in turn meant that he was off of TV for the build to The Shield's Triple Threat for the WWE Championship at Battleground.

I apologize to my family, friends and fans for my mistake in violating WWE's wellness policy. No excuses. I own it.

— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) June 21, 2016

He would also take the pin in that match as Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley) continued as champion and he further lost to the eventual inaugural Universal Champion, Finn Balor, in the tournament that saw him crowned. He would not win a world title after this reign until the Universal Championship two years later. 

The importance of family has been the crux of The Bloodline tale and specifically the "Head of the Table" aspect of Reigns' character. He has made it his mission to elevate both himself and those who share his flesh and blood, whether that be Jimmy and Jey Uso or Solo Sikoa, and even extending to the inclusion of his older cousin The Rock – who returned earlier this year with the heel "Final Boss" persona and joined Reigns' side at WrestleMania. But as one might imagine such a large and tight-knit family opens the door to heartbreak when members disembark the journey of life, and wrestling doesn't always offer escapism at a time when it is most needed.

Reigns lost his older brother, Matt Anoa'i – known to WWE fans as Rosey – when the heat was truly on him at a professional level. Two weeks prior, Reigns had become just the second man to defeat The Undertaker at WrestleMania, and looked to have been the one that had finally retired "The Deadman," and he was showered with varying levels of vitriol and verbal abuse during subsequent TV appearances. It was clear how much Reigns felt about his brother during his A&E documentary, recalling his tutelage and the way it helped him realize the man he wanted to be – the older brother, guardian role. 

Family tragedy hit once more over this past summer when Reigns lost his father Sika at the age of 79 years old in June. He addressed his father's passing on the X social media platform. 

My family and I thank everyone for the outpouring of support in the name of my father, Pola'ivao Leati Sika Anoa'i, who will forever be remembered as one half of The Wild Samoans tag team.  My father had a profound impact on my entire family and we are forever grateful for the...

— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) June 26, 2024

Less than two months later, Sika's brother and Reigns' uncle, Afa Anoa'i, also passed away at the age of 80 years old.