WWE has now long been known as a scripted show that caters to entertainment along with sporting athleticism but there comes along, once in a while, some spine-tingling moments of hard truth, the implications of which leaves the audience in shock.
Something very similar happened on the October 22 edition of WWE's flagship show Monday Night Raw when Roman Reigns took to the ring in casual attire. He went on to make a very emotional announcement about battling his relapsing leukaemia before relinquishing his WWE Universal Championship.
Speaking with Comicbook.com in an interview while promoting his movie Marine 6, Shawn Michaels spoke candidly on what Reigns' sombre news meant to him.
"It's someone in your line work, a person that you know, a person that you understand is a leader of this locker room, a leader of this generation, a role that once you have played or have seen other people play and understanding that that guy is going through something tough. And for us, that's when it gets real," said Michaels.
Michaels went on to speak about how the world of pro wrestling can make you forget about life's difficulties until something as serious as this comes along.
"We live in a constant world of make-believe. and on one hand, it's the greatest thing in the world because it allows none of us to have to grow up and become adults. Every now and then real life comes in an throws you something in your face that makes you understand that real life does happen. And also to appreciate the time that we have with each other," he said.
In the land of WWE, where people often rely on real-life incidents to promote their television persona, Michaels spoke about the man Roman Reigns is as he did not let anyone know that he had battled leukaemia in his early 20s.
"To understand that that's something he's fought through before, that was a revelation I don't think anyone knew about. It's encouraging on one hand, but it helps you understand and get to know him. He could have used that to help in the wrestling business to help him "get over" but that was something the human being, who he is, the real-life person didn't want to do that he just wanted to put that behind him, go on his own merit, go on his own ability and be judged on that. And that speaks to the real character behind that young man," Michaels stated.
The specifics of Reigns' health are not known but it is believed that the wrestler belonging to the famous Anoa'i bloodline will return to the ring once he, self admittedly, "whips leukaemia's ass".
