Roman Reigns broke many hearts when he announced his decision to opt-out of the WrestleMania 36 Universal Championship match against Goldberg. The fans were very excited to watch the WWE superstar in action, especially because it was such a big event. Since it was just speculation in the beginning, the 34-year-old decided to officially announce the news on his Instagram and mentioned that he is taking the step to protect his family from the deadly Coronavirus that is now haunting people across the world.
In 2018, Roman had to take a leave of absence after he was diagnosed with leukemia. Reportedly, he had been battling the disease for 11 years. After recovering, he made a successful comeback in the wrestling scene and hogged headlines for his feud with Goldberg. However, before finally locking horns with the 53-year-old wrestling star, Roman pulled out. It was understood that the wrestler, who is immunocompromised because of his battle with leukemia, did not want to risk his health amid the ongoing health crisis. However, there was more to that decision.
In his interview with Muscle & Fitness, Roman revealed that he and his wife Galina Becker are expecting twins. He announced the happy news during the interview which was taken before WrestleMania 36, but the footage was released on April 15. He shared the information while talking about his three kids. “Three [kids], with two in the oven. I’m looking to be Papa Bear Five. Breaking news, we haven’t shared that,” he said,” he said while smiling brightly. The wrestler already shares three kids with his wife.
AdvertisementIn the Universal Championship match against Goldberg, Braun Strowman ended up replacing Roman and winning the match. The rumours suggested that WWE had already decided that Roman will win the match before we decided to quit. It is clear now that Roman had a pregnant wife at home hand he did to want to pass on any virus to her, in addition to prioritising his own health. In his lengthy Insta video, the wrestler has stated that he had decided to pull back because he had to think about his family.
Defending his decision, the wrestler said, “For years now, for years, people have been like, 'Don't show up to WrestleMania, we don't want you in it.' You know what I mean? There's a handful of dudes and haters that didn't want me there, but the moment I make a choice for me and my family I'm a coward, I'm a sissy. But you don't know the whole story. You don't know what else is going on in my life. You don't know if I have newborns, you don't know if I have family in my household, older family.”
Reacting to the hateful comments he received after quitting the event, Roman urged people to be kind to each other. “If we can, let's not just do it in the real world, let's do it on here. It's easy man, all it takes is starting right now. Just be kind to others, let's try to better each other and hopefully we're gonna come out with so many better habits, but it can't just be about cleanliness, we gotta be clean inside, too,” he added.
He further apologised to his fans for pulling out of the highly anticipated match. “For all my fans, you know I'm sorry I didn't get to compete this year and put on a show and entertain. But sometimes things are more important and I had to make a choice for me and my family. I still love this game, I still love pro wrestling, sports entertainment. I still love being in the ring,” he stated.
Roman is currently practicing self-isolation with his pregnant wife and kids. He recently gave a young hospitalised fan the surprise of his life when he sent him a heart-warming video message. 15-year-old Anthony Primavera is currently battling kidney disease and gets regular dialysis. “Hey! Anthony! What’s up buddy? It is Roman Reigns. We actually have a mutual friend who told me you were a big fan of mine. I just want you to know that I am thinking about you. I am going to be praying for you, my man. You are not alone man, we are with you. See you, buddy,” Roman said in the video.
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