Roman Reigns's Battle with Cancer

In 2021, Roman Reigns shared in a documentary, Biography: WWE Legends documentary, that he was still taking medication for cancer.

Roman Reigns, born Joe Anoa’i, is a globally recognized professional wrestler, best known for his career in WWE. Before his wrestling career, he was a standout college football player at Georgia Tech and briefly pursued a professional football career with Minnesota Vikings.

He rose to fame as a member of The Shield and went on to become one of WWE’s top superstars, known for his dominance and strong connection with fans. Beyond his achievements in sports entertainment, Reigns is also widely respected for his honesty about his health struggles.

Reigns was first diagnosed with leukemia in his early 20s during routine medical testing while attempting to enter the NFL. A standard blood test revealed abnormalities that ultimately led to his diagnosis, a moment he later described as life-altering at such a young age.

In an interview with Stacy Sager, president of the SagerStrong Foundation, Reigns shared, “Looking back at it now I was just in shock; being so young and not (facing) any true adversity at that point in my life and everything kind of went smoothly for me.” Due to the diagnosis, he had to put his football dreams on hold and confront a serious illness early in life.

After treatment, he entered remission and lived cancer-free for over a decade, building his career in WWE. However, in 2018, he publicly revealed that the disease had returned—11 years after his first battle with leukemia—forcing him to step away from wrestling at the height of his career. In his announcement, he told fans, “Sometimes life throws you a curveball. And right now, the best thing for me to do is to go home and focus on my family and my health...”

Support played a crucial role in his journey. Reigns consistently credits his family, friends and medical teams for helping him through both experiences. He emphasized the importance of community, saying, “For me especially, it has always been a group fight. I have always had support — whether it was just my family, even when I felt I was on that island of isolation, I still had my loved ones and my family and friends surrounding me and picking me up when I was down.” He further elaborated, “That is why I think going forward it is important to pay it forward and to help those who are not necessarily in a position where they feel empowered and feel like they have that support.”

He also addresses the emotional isolation many cancer patients face, urging others not to go through it alone, “There are a lot of people out there; this is a huge world and there are thousands and thousands, which is kind of sad to say, but at the same time we bond on that struggle that you’re not by yourself. You are in a big group and there are people to rely on and there are people who understand what you’re going through. If you feel like you are alone, please try to tap into these resources and find that help and find that support that’s out there.”

Sharing about his diagnosis in the 2021 Biography: WWE Legends documentary, he shared that he is still taking medication for cancer, which he considers “very potent”.

“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,” he said in the documentary, “but it’s pretty much just a conditioning of getting your body used to these toxic medications and just hoping for the best.”