Roman Reigns Makes Surprise WWE Exit — ‘I’ve Done It All’
Roman Reigns Makes Surprise WWE Exit — ‘I’ve Done It All’
In a shocking turn of events for the WWE Universe, Roman Reigns has announced that he is stepping away from WWE — and relinquishing the Universal Title — to focus on his battle with leukemia, which had been in remission since late 2008.“I want to make one thing clear,” Anoa`i told the WWE Universe. The news broke last night, as Reigns delivered an emotional speech in his hometown in Columbus on Monday Night RAW.
“I’ve done it all,” Reigns began, stopping as the crowd roared with a mix of incredulity and applause. “From headlining WrestleMania to being the leader of The Bloodline, to leading this company during the most challenging times — I’ve given this company all I’ve had, every single night. And now … it’s my turn to hit the road.”
Reigns, who was “The Tribal Chief” and the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion for more than 1,300 days before last month’s setback, has been the face of WWE for nearly a decade. This changed him from the reviled babyface of The Shield to the fierce leader of The Bloodline it was, indeed, historic. Chalk up endless world title reigns, epic rivalries and industry-shaping matches – in doing so, Reigns didn’t just add his name to the history books, he changed the definition of what it meant to be a top WWE Superstar.
Rumors of his future with the company had swirled for months, particularly as he lowered his in-ring appearance schedule and expanded outside of wrestling through television commitments, endorsements, and rumored movie roles in Hollywood. But fans held out hope that Reigns would wrestle part-time. All that changed Monday night with the confirmation.
Roman Reigns Makes Surprise WWE Exit — ‘I’ve Done It All’
Social media lit up with tributes, disbelief and gratitude. Hashtags including #ThankYouRoman and #EndOfAnEra were trending worldwide within minutes. Other superstars also voiced their thoughts, including Seth Rollins, who responded, “No Shield. No me. No this era. Roman Reigns made us believe.”
WWE has since issued a statement confirming the injury.
