For years, Roman Reigns was the WWE’s Next Big Star. He had the looks, the in-ring skills, and a preternatural ability to divide crowds on a level previously only achieved by John Cena. But shortly after Reigns cemented himself at the top of his profession, taking the Universal Championship from Brock Lesnar last August, he was forced to step away from the squared circle and relinquish his title. As Reigns announced on live television, he had been diagnosed with leukemia for the second time.
Nobody knew what this meant for Reigns’ future as a professional wrestler, least of all Reigns himself. So when he re-emerged on Monday Night Raw in late February—just four months after he revealed his diagnosis—the wrestling world was stunned. Even more surprising: Reigns declared that he was officially in remission.
If you thought he would ease his way back, you’d be sorely mistaken. On top of traveling the world full-time with WWE, and headlining SmackDown Live every Tuesday night, he somehow found the time to film Hobbs & Shaw alongside his cousin, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. I recently caught up with Reigns to find out how he manages to maintain that schedule while staying in ring shape following a battle with cancer.