Opinion: Roman Reigns' leukemia is not the end of his career

First, let me begin by saying that no one should have to go through what Roman Reigns is going through now. This was obviously unwelcome news to say the least. However, it's best to now look forward. I believe Roman Reigns when he says he's going to beat this thing, and when he does, it will turn out to have been the best thing that could have happened for his career.

To make sense of that controversial statement, let's take a look back at Roman Reigns' career from the initial Shield breakup in 2014 to now. Since that time, he's essentially been stuck in the same frame.

He was earmarked to be the next face of the company, but unlike his predecessors, he didn't have a strong, organic crowd connection before getting that push. He didn't rise through the mid-card and find a character but was rather just pushed. Something felt off and his victory at the 2015 Royal Rumble at Daniel Bryan's expense cemented that feeling for a lot of people.

Roman Reigns had talent, and got better in the ring as time went on, but the mental frame of Roman Reigns had already been set. People just saw him as someone being pushed because that's what WWE wanted to do. He wasn't relatable.

WWE had many opportunities to change this frame, but those opportunities involved a heel turn, and WWE refused to take that option, even though it had worked with some of its most successful performers of all time.

So the standoff continued. Roman Reigns had been rejected but he kept being pushed anyway, for reasons that fans couldn't entirely relate to. The war between the company and its paying audience climaxed this year, with a loud rejection of the WrestleMania 34 main event, many convoluted pay per view matches, and an equally convoluted Shield reunion to keep some of the heat off Roman Reigns.

Then he dropped his bombshell on Monday. That's when everything changed.

In his stunning announcement, Roman Reigns actually delivered the best promo of his career. It was raw, authentic, and for the first time, completely relatable. Most of us have struggled or know someone who has struggled with cancer. We felt everything Roman was saying and instantly identified with him. For many years, Roman Reigns lacked a characteristic that connected him with the audience, but he now has it, and he didn't need to turn heel to get it.

When he comes back, and he certainly will, Roman Reigns is going to finally become the most beloved Superstar in the company, just as Vince McMahon always wanted him to be. The frame has changed at last. Now he has an authentic journey. It's one which everyone will want to see him successfully complete, all the way to the end, which means recapturing the Universal Championship.

One prevalent trope of storytelling that goes back to the ancient world is the concept that the Greeks called katabasis. This involved a descent into some kind of personal or even physical hell. Afterward, the victorious hero would emerge far stronger than before.

The descent of Christ into Hell and his subsequent Resurrection is the most famous of these stories, but the trope is present elsewhere, and in every culture, including Homer's Odyssey, the Emperor Yudhishthira in the Mahabharata, and modern classics, such as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. The hero would need to overcome this hell in order to truly reach his potential.

Before now, Roman Reigns hadn't truly faced a katabasis. He was simply pushed to the top when the time came, but now, he faces a far more harrowing journey than any of his battles with Brock Lesnar. He's in his katabasis now.

When Roman Reigns emerges, he's going to be the hero that Vince McMahon always wanted him to be, and with the right heel holding the Universal Championship at the time (currently, Drew McIntyre would be the best choice), WWE has the potential to tell one of the best stories it has ever told.

The old Roman Reigns just felt like a motion, but that's over with. When Joe Annoa'i makes good on his worst and beats leukemia again, fans will be eager to cheer for him on the final stages of his comeback journey.

The stalemate between company and audience will have at last come to an end and Roman Reigns will finally cement his place as the face of the company. It's not an obstacle he or anyone else would have wanted, but a good thing will come out of this bad turn of events.

We'll be seeing Roman Reigns very soon and a much better version of him. Who can't wait?