Roman Reigns opened Raw with an emotional announcement on Monday. That he is taking some time off to battle leukemia.

When Roman Reigns' music hit to open Raw this week, it was greeted with the familiar chorus of boos. However, as he slowly made his way to the ring, you could tell that something wasn't quite right. When The Big Dog got to the ring he explained that he isn't really Roman Reigns, but that his real name is Joe, and he recently discovered that he has leukemia.

That's not entirely true. Reigns actually revealed that he was first diagnosed with leukemia 11 years ago when he was just 22, but now it has returned. The now-former Universal Champion was visibly fighting back tears as he addressed the WWE Universe and laid down the title in the middle of the ring. He then made his way up the ramp to meet Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose who were waiting for him in the entrance way.

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The horrible news has naturally been greeted with messages of sympathy and support on Twitter, a lot of that coming from some of Reigns' fellow WWE Superstars. Natalya wrote that she hasn't been able to stop thinking about Reigns and that he put everything into perspective with his announcement. Raw GM Kurt Angle described it as the most heartfelt promo he had ever seen.

Former stars we don't see all that often also took to social media to show their support for The Big Dog. WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T thanked Reigns and simply wrote "we are with you!" to sign off his tweet. Nature Boy Ric Flair also expressed his sympathy by letting Reigns know "My Family And I Are Thinking Of You And Are Keeping You In Our Prayers! We Are Here For You!" The list of names offering their support goes on and on from John Cena to Bret Hart to his Samoan brothers, The Usos.

Although WWE is pre-determined and staged, every now and again there is a real moment that breaks the hearts of fans around the world. On Raw this Monday, Reigns delivered one of those moments. We hope that the former Universal Champion recovers quickly and that we see him back in a WWE ring very soon. Good luck Roman.

NEXT: CROWN JEWEL MAIN EVENT CHANGED FOLLOWING ROMAN REIGNS ANNOUNCEMENT