WATCH: Roman Reigns Makes First Public Appearance Since Leukemia Announcement, Returns to Georgia Tech

WWE superstar and former Georgia Tech football player Roman Reigns made his first public appearance since announcing his leukemia diagnosis during the Yellow Jackets' game against Georgia.

"I'm the real Big Dog here, to hell with Georgia baby," Reigns said prior to the game's kickoff, referring to his WWE character's "Big Dog" nickname.

Reigns, whose real name is Joe Anoa'i, played defensive tackle for the Yellow Jackets from 2003-06 and was a first-team All-ACC selection as a senior, recording nine tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, before playing in the CFL and eventually embarking on a career in professional wrestling.

Reigns announced his second leukemia diagnosis during the opening segment of Monday Night Raw in October.

"When I was 22 years old I was diagnosed with this and very quickly I was able to put it in remission," Reigns said. "But I'm not going to lie, that was the hardest time of my life. I didn't have a job, I didn't have any money, I didn't have a home and I had a baby on the way. And football was done with me. But you want to know who gave me a chance? The team that gave me a chance was the WWE.

"And when I finally made it to the main roster and was on the road they put me in front of all of you, the WWE Universe and to be honest y'all have made my dreams come true. And it didn't matter if you cheered me, it didn't matter if you booed me, you've always reacted to me and that is the most important thing. And for that I have to say thank you so much."

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Reigns began his treatment in November and discussions regarding a timeframe for his return to WWE are "a long way off."

The former Universal champion is scheduled to appear at the 2019 ACE Comic Con in Arizona on Jan. 11, 2019, but there is no confirmation yet as to when he'll be making WWE appearances again.

Reigns said he remains optimistic in his second battle with the disease and plans on making a full recovery before returning to the squared circle at the time of his leukemia announcement.

"When I was 22 years old I was diagnosed with this and very quickly I was able to put it in remission," Reigns said. "But I'm not going to lie, that was the hardest time of my life. I didn't have a job, I didn't have any money, I didn't have a home and I had a baby on the way. And football was done with me. But you want to know who gave me a chance? The team that gave me a chance was the WWE.

"And when I finally made it to the main roster and was on the road they put me in front of all of you, the WWE Universe and to be honest y'all have made my dreams come true. And it didn't matter if you cheered me, it didn't matter if you booed me, you've always reacted to me and that is the most important thing. And for that I have to say thank you so much."

"But I want to make this clear, by no means is this a retirement speech," Reigns added. "Because when I'm done whuppin' leukemia's a** once again I'm coming back home. And when I do, it's not going to just be about titles and being on top, no, it's about a purpose. I am coming back because I want to show all of you, the whole world, I want to show my family, my friends, my children and my wife that when life throws a curveball at me, I am the type of man that will stand in that batter's box, I will crowd the plate, I will choke up and I will swing for the fences every single time. Because I will beat this and I will be back so you will see me very very soon."

WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins, Reigns' long-time stablemate in "The Shield," recently discussed his friend's second battle with leukemia in an interview with AL Arabiya English.

"It threw everything up in the air," Rollins said. "It's hard to go a day without thinking about him and how he's doing and hoping he's doing alright," Rollins said. "I'm fighting the urge to check in on him like a brother every two hours, but he's a strong dude, and I know that he's in a good place mentally as well as physically. He's in good health for the most part. I think he's going to be able to fight this thing pretty strong. We're just getting through it while we can. Obviously it's going to be easier as time goes on, but certainly the last couple weeks have been, and last week especially, have been a rollercoaster of emotions. Lots of ups and downs."

Reigns has served as one of WWE's top superstars for several years and has been regarded by many as the heir to John Cena as the company's franchise player.

Along with his recent Universal championship reign, the third-generation superstar is also a former three-time World Heavyweight, Intercontinental, Tag Team and Universal champion and is a member of the legendary Anoa'i family Samoan wrestling dynasty.