As the shocking news from Monday still reverberates around the wrestling world, it is becoming apparent that Joe Anoa’i (Roman Reigns) is incredibly well liked and respected backstage amongst his co-workers. It is therefore no surprise the outpouring of support and love for ‘The Big Dog’ since he made the brave announcement on Raw that his leukemia had return following his first diagnosis at age 22.
The latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that in the days leading up to Reigns’ promo, WWE played it all very close to the chest with only a few people knowing what he was going to do. In terms of the promo he deliver, the only colleagues who knew what he was going to say were Vince McMahon, Triple H, Kevin Dunn, Mark Carrano and writers Dave Kapoor and Ed Koskey.
An hour before the show, Shield members Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose were told their brother would be relinquishing the title but not told the reason why. Announcer Michael Cole was also told the same.
Meltzer also says Reigns reportedly received the diagnosis on Thursday October 18 and Vince McMahon was informed that evening. WWE began to make plans the following day for a way to move forward.
We are all frankly still in shock about the whole thing but how do you think WWE handled the situation?
