WWE News: Roman Reigns Discusses Possible Retirement From In-Ring Competition

Despite being only 34-years-old, WWE superstar Roman Reigns has already had to battle against career-threatening odds. Following the announcement of his leukemia diagnosis last October, many wondered if he’d ever lace up his boots and return to action.

Staying true to his promise of beating his illness and returning to the WWE Universe, however, he made his triumphant return to Monday Night Raw this past February and told the fans that he was in remission. He’s been wrestling full-time ever since.

Reigns hasn’t lost a step since getting back into the squared circle, but if his health scare taught us anything, it’s that nothing in this world is certain. Reigns is evidently being realistic about his capabilities following his diagnosis, as he recently told TMZ that he’ll likely step away from full-time in-ring competition in “five years.”

“I’m still a young man, I’m 34. I still have a few years in me, of just being I think at the prime of my athletic career. Can I handle it in the ring? I’m willing to do it. I think I can hold this schedule for at least five more years being full-time, but eventually it’s gonna have to be time to rest my body.”

Reigns will be 39-years-old when the time comes. Many wrestlers are long past their best years at that age, and start to cut back on their time spent in between the ropes as a result. While plenty of performers can still perform in a high-caliber way into their middle-age years, few are able to do so per the demands of a full-time WWE schedule — which is known to see performers work 300+ days a year.

Tonight! Yesssssir! ?? #850 https://t.co/is6rctCZP5

— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) July 21, 2019

It remains to be seen if Reigns will decide to hang up his boots permanently or only wrestle on special occasions. In the world of sports entertainment, retirements rarely last forever, after all.

During the TMZ interview, Reigns also discussed how he’s caught the “acting bug.” He recently made his big screen debut starring alongside his real-life cousin, Dwayne Johnson, in the action blockbuster Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.

Hollywood is the next step for many WWE superstars after their wrestling careers wind down. In addition to Reigns and Johnson, John Cena and Dave Bautista are currently making their presence felt in some of the biggest movies being released.

Reigns is arguably the company’s biggest crossover star at the moment, meaning that he has all the necessary tools to be a box office draw outside of the ring.