Roman Reigns opened up Monday Night Raw with a shocking announcement - that he is battling Leukemia and was thus relinquishing the Universal Championship.

Reigns revealed that he had been battling Leukemia for 11 years, and it recently came back. He broke character and mentioned his real name as "Joe," and that he can't portray his 'Roman Reigns' gimmick anymore for the time being.

After the emotional speech, Reigns was embraced by The Shield counterparts - Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. A handful of WWE superstars and other talents immediately took to Twitter to thank Reigns for everything he's done.

Reigns was set to defend his Universal Championship in a triple threat match against Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman at the Crown Jewel pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia. It remains to be seen how WWE will now go about this Universal Title match. They could pit Lesnar vs. Strowman, or another superstar could get added to the match.

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via WWE.com

But the main concern here is Reigns' long-term health. This was a completely unexpected announcement, one that brought many fans in attendance to tears. No matter how any wrestling fan feels about Reigns' as a superstar, this news is very devastating to a hard-working husband and father of three young kids.

The Big Dog vowed that he wasn't retiring, and that he'll be back to continue his wrestling career soon. It's hard to know how long a patient needs treatment for, but Leukemia will keep Reigns out of action for the long-term.

WWE had been teasing an Ambrose heel turn and split from The Shield, but Reigns' immediate hiatus could change all of that now. The group had only been back together for two months, once Ambrose returned at the SummerSlam pay-per-view.

The WWE Universe can only hope and pray for the best in Reigns' recovery. But seeing how much he's already conquered in his career, a betting person would be wise to put their money on Reigns winning this battle with Leukemia. He fought it before, and he'll certainly fight it again.

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