By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Roman Reigns spoke with TMZ and was asked about his decision to take time away from WWE during the pandemic. “A lot of people think it was based off of my health and the history of my fight against leukemia, but just talking to my doctors and stuff, I actually am fine. My immune system is good. The drugs that I take in order to fight the leukemia, they don’t attack your immune system. But not everybody knew because I try to keep it private in this crazy world, but my children, we just had two newborn twins, twin boys, they’re eight weeks old.
“So I had to make a decision for them. And I love this business. If anybody ever questions if I love this business, go back about a year and a half ago, I came back as fast as possible. I could have taken a lot longer off to focus on my health, but they told me, ‘Yeah, man, you should be fine, just get in the ring and do your thin if you want to get back to normal.’ And I jumped as soon as they gave me the green light. But this is bigger than me. It’s my family, it’s my children.
“They are my legacy. No matter what I do in this world, my children are going to be the ones who represent my name and carry our name forward. So I had to make that choice for them to protect them with them being so young. We’re doing good, it’s tough because I want to be out there.”
Reigns also said he also did it in part for his community and to set an example. When he was asked when he would return, he said he didn’t know. He said they were taking it day by day, gathering information, and he’s trying to make the most educated decision possible. Watch the full video below or via TMZ.com
Powell’s POV: It’s great that Roman’s immune system is not the issue and I applaud him for making the choice to protect his family. The thing I don’t understand is why WWE would rather have him share his story with TMZ than have him discuss it on their own television shows. The pandemic is affecting everyone and as much as WWE is trying to provide an escape through its programming, the empty venue setting makes it impossible for viewers to truly forget because the eery silence is a constant reminder. So rather than act as if everything is normal when it obviously is not, why not be real and allow Reigns and others to tell their story on Smackdown? Why not ask the wrestlers who are working the shows why they have made the choice to continue working? It’s human and relatable, and it would make the company look good in terms of showing that the wrestlers have been given the choice to stay home if they have any concerns. Instead, WWE simply stopped talking about Reigns when he pulled out of WrestleMania and he hasn’t been mentioned since on Smackdown.
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