10 Biggest Wrestling Stories Of 2019 (So Far)
8. The Return Of Roman Reigns
On October 22, 2018, Roman Reigns relinquished the WWE Universal Championship few in the ardent pocket of the fandom wished to see dragged over his shoulder. The resentment surrounding the performer was such that, had he suffered, for example, a serious shoulder injury, many fans might have cheered his announcement.
Roman Reigns instead announced to the world that he was in a second battle with leukaemia, the first of which was never disclosed publicly.
This shocking, scary news rocked the fandom into a state of guilt and support. The performer we perceived as a puppet became a human being, and it was almost disturbing that it took something this profound to make the distinction.
On February 25, 2019, Roman Reigns announced that he was in remission. He used the word "y'all" to cap it off. Again, it was sobering: we almost didn't deserve his class, his love, his gratitude. Reigns returned to the ring at Fastlane, in a superb six-man firecracker in which he wrestled the best sequence Baron Corbin has managed in his entire run thus far.
His stature has declined, the goodwill has lessened. But if there's anything positive to take from it, it's that Roman is received now as just a wrestler, not the misdirected target of toxic anger.