WWE superstar Nia Jax says the roster are still coming to terms with Roman Reigns' battle with Leukemia.
The 33-year-old, whose real name is, Leati Joseph Anoa'i, made the revelation during a speech to the crowds on Monday Night Raw a couple of weeks back and said he has had the condition for 11 years.
With the illness recently returning, the Universal champion was forced to relinquish the Universal Title after his second stint with the strap.
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The outpouring of support from his peers has been nothing short of incredible and shows just how highly respected he is in the company.
And Nia, cousin to the Shield member, revealed that WWE talent have had difficulty dealing with the trauma given how much of a locker room leader he is.
"He's such a quiet, humble person. Roman Reigns is this larger than life, Superman character but the true Joe, Joe Anoa'i is a very shy humble guy and he's super giving and loving," she told SPORTbible in an exclusive interview ahead of Monday Night Raw in Manchester last night.
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"So that's why when the news came out everybody was hit hard. I feel like that day there was just a hole in the entire locker room.
"He gives advice to everybody and he's always there for everybody. And he carried the company on his shoulders on his shoulders for the last few years.
"There's nothing he would say no to and he works his butt off. We thank him so much for all the contributions he's given.
"I think we're all still getting used to it. I think everybody's trying to find their footing now we've lost our Superman."
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Nia, along with her cousin Tamina Snuka, produced a tribute to Reigns in the Evolution battle royale when they did his signature taunt in the match.
But she also got the entire roster of those involved in the show to do the same battle cry and sent him the video over text message.
"It was so important. Prior to that, I had all the girls, present, past and future, do that tribute to him privately. I sent him a text and it was a video of him, my cousin Tamina and my aunt (Ata Johnson, The Rock's mother)," the former Raw women's champion added.
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"Then we had all the girls do the 'OOH AHH!' [Reigns' battle cry] and he really loved it. It was really important."
Jax, real name Savelina Fanene, is also related to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, the biggest star in Hollywood who made his name by captivating crowds in WWE.
The 10-time world champion is a very busy man these days but still makes time to follow the product and give words of wisdom to Nia.
"Dwayne is such a goofball but he's very hard-working and always giving me advice - making sure I'm staying on top of my game," the 34-year old revealed.
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"He's amazing and he was super excited about the pay-per-view, the Evolution pay-per-view. He watched some of it when he had the chance to in between sets and so it was a pretty cool thing that he's super proud of all this.
"His heart is always with the WWE, it's so crazy because you wouldn't think that with how busy he is, he wouldn't keep up with storylines and characters and stuff but he does. If something peaks his interest, he would definitely step back into 'The Rock' role."
Featured Image Credit:Topics: The Rock, WWE News, WWE, Roman Reigns
