An Empire that was Built to Stand Tall

   Leati Joseph Anoa’i, or better known to the sports entertainment world as WWE Superstar Roman Reigns, is a man who has overcome obstacles put in his path to become one of the biggest stars in the world of professional wrestling.

   On October 22, during an episode of Monday Night Raw, the then WWE Universal Champion revealed to the world that over a decade ago, he suffered from the disease known as leukemia. He hesitantly announced the disease had made its return, forcing Reigns to step away from the squared circle.

   Being born into one of the most prestigious wrestling families in professional wrestling history, Roman was destined for greatness. However, Roman made it a goal to create his own legacy. And that legacy became an empire.

   Reigns was born into the Anoa’i family which has produced some of the most well known wrestlers in history. Wrestlers such as: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Rikishi, Jimmy and Jey Uso and Yokozuna.

   Reigns’ career started on another field. Reigns played football at the University of Georgia Tech and seemed to have his sights set on a career in professional wrestling. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings, the Jacksonville Jaguars and then the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League.

   However, football turned out not to be the ultimate destination for Reigns.

   In 2010, Anoa’i looked for a restart, which led him to WWE. He was signed to a developmental contract and worked through WWE’s developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling, now NXT. Through his few years in developmental, he caught the eye of many who wanted to show Roman Reigns to a worldwide audience.

   On Nov. 18, 2012, Roman Reigns made his main roster debut at Survivor Series alongside partners Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. Their collaborative team was known as The Shield, which became one of the most dominant teams in WWE history.

   Over the next few years, The Shield stood side by side and dominated everyone in their path. Their path of dominance ended in 2014 when the team split and went on different paths.

   Roman’s path was straight to the top. In his short time as a singles competitor, he would go on to win the Royal Rumble match and main event WrestleMania. It was a star in the making and his star grew brighter and brighter.

   He would go on to win: WWE Championship (3x), the Universal Championship (1x), the Tag Team Championship (1x) United States Champion (1x), Intercontinental Champion (1x), and would main event WrestleMania (4x).

   No superstar has made such an impact in a shorter amount of time than Roman Reigns. Whether some like or dislike him, Roman Reigns has given it all for the WWE and he continuously strives to give it back to who matters.

   The ones who matter are the fans who every week tune in to watch their heroes duke it out in the squared circle.

   Roman, behind the scenes has also become the most important person in the locker room. Reigns had strived and had become the leader of the locker room. He led the locker room on a day to day basis and kept order amongst the superstars in the back.  

   Roman’s hard work and perseverance led him to SummerSlam this past August. Reigns had finally conquered the one man he was unable to beat, Brock Lesnar. Reigns reached the top of the mountain once again after a long journey and became Universal Champion.

   Roman set out to become a fighting champion the WWE Universe wanted to see. He fought all comers and sought to be the best in the world. He did not let anything crumble his Roman Empire.

   The hard work and determination would soon become haltered in one announcement. Monday Oct. 22, 2018 will be a day that lives in infamy with wrestling fans for years to come. It opened with an announcement that no one saw coming and led to a night that shocked the wrestling world to its core.

   The night that Roman Reigns forfeited the Universal Championship due to his battle with leukemia changed the landscape of the world of wrestling we see today. The fans that once booed Roman Reigns was now cheering and thanking Roman Reigns.

   Making us realize that at the end of the day, whether they are wrestlers, entertainers or even viewers, we are all human at the end of the day and anything can happen.

   Thoughts and prayers are with Roman and his family. Knowing the obstacles that have been put in front of him before, we know that Roman will fight this with everything he has and will kick leukemia down for the three count to finally make his way back into the ring.

   He will go back to doing what he does best and that is performing for the WWE Universe. Believe that.

David Jacobus
Contributing Writer