Natalya Describes WWE Locker Room During Roman Reigns Leukemia Announcement

Roman Reigns' leukemia announcement during an October episode of Raw may be the most poignant [...]

By Jeremy Snodgrass

Roman Reigns' leukemia announcement during an October episode of Raw may be the most poignant moment in WWE history. As fans we were all blindsided, but so was WWE's locker room.

During an interview with Planeta Wrestling, former WWE Champion Natalya explained what it was like behind the scenes before, during, and after, Reigns' heartbreaking address.

"That was really hard for all of us to be a part of that, and obviously way harder for Roman. Nobody knew as far as I knew that news was going to be delivered, Roman's very private. We were kind of just told earlier in the day that there was something going on in the first hour of the show that we wouldn't want to miss and everybody's talking about it," she said.

Since the announcement, it's been confirmed that very few people within WWE knew about Reigns' leukemia — even Vince McMahon only knew a few days prior to the Raw speech.

"I remember that building being freezing cold and there was just this tension in the air all day long. When Roman walked to the ring I thought it was really weird he wasn't wearing his wrestling costume, he was just wearing a shirt. I thought, 'He has to say something serious,'" said Natalya.

Not only did Reigns reveal he had leukemia, but that it was the second time he'd have to fight off the disease.

"When he announced that he had leukemia and he had it for 11 years and it was back, everyone was just in shock. Some were in disbelief, some were crying, some people were just standing there frozen. Because Roman is our locker room leader, Roman is our Superman, Roman is the guy that all of us look up to backstage. He is like a general for us," she said.

Reigns was forced to relinquish the Universal Championship that night and we haven't seen him on WWE television since. The details of his battle with leukemia are limited, but its believed he'll miss at least a year.

In his absence, WWE has been in a state of flux. Not only was Reigns WWE's top Champion but he had been groomed to be the face of the company. Brock Lesnar has been installed a de facto champion, but it's clear WWE is operating on the fly.

Reigns did show up at a recent Georgia Tech football game, but other than that, we have yet to see or hear anything from The Big Dog.

Here's an excerpt from his emotional Raw speech:

"You know the deal, you know how life is," Reigns said to open Raw. "Life is not fair, it's not all peaches and cream. Sometimes life throws you a curve ball. And right now the best thing for me to do is to go home, to focus on my family and my health."

"But I want to make one thing clear, by no means is this a retirement speech. Because after I'm done whooping leukemia's ass once again I'm coming back home," Reigns continued. "And when I do, it's not just going to be about titles and being on top, no it's about a purpose. I am coming back because I want to show all of you, the whole world, I want to show my family, my friends, my children, and my wife, that when life throws a curve ball at me, I am the type of man that will stand in that batter's box, I will crowd the plate, I will choke up and I will swing for the fences every single time. Because I will beat this and I will be back and you will see me very, very soon."

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