Csonka: Roman Reigns Reminds Us That Reality is a Cruel Mistress

On last night’s WWE Raw, we were reminded that reality is a cruel mistress and that similar to father time, she’s undefeated because no matter what fantasy land you try and escape to, she’ll find you and send you crashing down to Earth like the bitch that she is. On Monday’s WWE Raw, Roman Reigns came to the ring, and something was different. There were rumors over the weekend that he was injured, which caused him to miss live events. When he arrived in street clothes, I feared that he was injured and that he was going to give up the Universal Championship. But it wasn’t as simple as that, it was much worse. Roman Reigns announced that he is fighting leukemia and relinquished the WWE Universal Championship so that he could go away to fight the disease and be with his family. He also revealed that he previously beat it 11-years ago, but that after years of remission, it was back.

Wrestling is entertainment, and for fans and writers like myself, an escape from the everyday world. It may be my job, but I find great joy in it as it allows me to escape the basic reality for hours at a time. But reality is a cruel mistress, and she reminded us that she was there once again. I won’t lie and claim he’s my favorite wrestler or anything like that; I have had my issues with Roman Reigns the wrestler. I don’t find “the big dog” the guy that WWE wants him to be, and I don’t think he’s a great professional wrestler. I think he works hard and at times simply takes too much shit for things that are out of his control.

But that’s Roman Reigns “the character.” Joe Anoa’I is a hardworking and extremely loved and respected man, respected by is peers (which was obvious with the outpouring of support following his announcement) but he’s also a father and husband. As a father and husband myself, and someone who has gone through some serious health issues there is nothing that can make you crash down to reality faster than the realization that you can’t be that rock, that hero, and that man your family wants and needs.

Pro wrestling and sports are my escape, yes covering wrestling is my job, but it’s much more than that. All too often, we as fans look at these athletes and almost forget that they are simply people like us. They come off as larger than life, almost like superheroes as they can do things the average man can’t and to many, live lives we can only dream of. But then you see Edge, Paige, & Daniel Bryan have to retire and leave what they love, and you’re reminded, they are just like us, they are human and vulnerable. Daniel Bryan got the gift of a second chance, one he fought years for, but others aren’t that lucky.

Joe Anoa’I made it clear that he wasn’t retiring, and I hope for him and his family that he kicks the shit out of this disease once again and overcomes the odds. This isn’t about wrestling; this is about a man and his family. If he comes back, it’s just the icing on the cake of a great story. It won’t be easy. Reality will be there to kick him when he’s down, but he’s beat it once and I hope he can again. There’s so much bullshit in life and I love for my wrestling to be as simple as possible. So many have passed for so many reasons, men like Shibata have suffered career-ending injuries and I don’t want to deal with that reality of covering the sport more than Ihave to.

But Joe Anoa’I beat it once, and I hope he can do it again. I try to be a positive person, which brings me back to my sports fandom. I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA. I was and still am a diehard Pittsburgh sports fan despite the fact that I now live in the Carolinas. The Steelers and Penguins have constantly battled for first place in my heart, but in the 90s, I was into the Penguins all the way. And that’s why this feels all too familiar. In 1993, Mario Lemieux, the man who saved Pittsburgh hockey (on more than one occasion) had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. I was 16 at the time, and to me, this was a horribly scary thing to learn about a sports icon and hero. It was one of the first times I can remember that I realized that while Mario Lemieux was a superman on the ice, he was just a mortal man. But he did return, and in many ways, was still Super Mario and winning scoring titles. To me, it was this comeback that made him Super Mario for me; the on-ice accomplishments became the icing on the cake.

While professional wrestling isn’t “a pure sport” like a hockey or football, it is an athletically based soap opera that puts great demands on the human body. It gives everyday people the chance to portray larger than life characters who possess superhuman qualities and characteristics, so much to the point that we forgot that they are human. Joe Anoa’I gets to leave home from being a husband & father, and gets to be “The Big Dog” Roman Reigns. Roman Reigns is not my favorite wrestler, and likely never will be. But Joe Anoa’I seems like a really cool, loved, and respected man and I will gladly live through Michael Cole screaming “IT’S THE BIG DOG” on repeat if he can get 100% healthy for his family. And if he makes his comeback to wrestling, that’ll just be an added extra to shove up reality’s cruel ass, and a win for a good guy.

Get well Joe.