Shaquille O’Neal: WRESTLEMANIA BOUND
By Sean Farrell
Shaquille O’Neal the man we all know as Shaq has retired from the NBA. How is this relevant on a site for ring sports you ask? Easy really, does anyone remember that little run in between Shaq and the Big Show in the WWE?
For those who don’t know, when O’Neal was the guest host of Monday Night Raw he had a promo scene where he and the Big Show stood toe to toe and hyped Shaq not being intimidated or much smaller than “the Largest Athlete in the World. Well, Vince is opening up his pocketbook to see what it will take to lure the NBA great to the WWE. Shaq has turned down numerous coaching positions in the NBA since his retirement announcement and cited he needed “Something new to do”, Vince McMahon took that as an invite and it didn’t take long.
The WWE had this to say on Shaq just days after his retirement: “WWE Universe member Shaquille O’Neal has had the world abuzz since announcing his retirement from the NBA. After his tussle with Big Show as Raw guest star, WWE fans might wonder if the 15-time All-Star will now look to settle his one-night rivalry.” Even Vice President of Dragon Gate USA Gabe Sapolsky had the following to say on WWE signing Shaq “WWE gained a great boost recently with the return of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Now they need that one hook for the mainstream public like Mike Tyson was in 1996.”
“‘The Answer’ just quit his job and became a free agent. His name is Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq is on the market. It’s well documented he loves wrestling. He understands how to entertain and perform. He has size and athletic ability. The best part is he could now make a long term commitment and he’s looking for something new to do.”
O’Neal has long wanted to be a full time pro wrestler, with his NBA career over why not make a HUGE! impact doing something you want to do on the biggest stage? Especially when it’s geared simply towards “Entertainment” and not wrestling in this day and age. Give Shaq a dominant finisher like a Chokeslam or a big Oklahoma Slam and let him be an “enforcer” and ratings will be SKY HIGH! Can you imagine a promo between Shaq and Cena or Shaq and the Rock? That is pure entertainment. On top of that, can anyone just think about this hypothetically for a second: Wrestlemania XXVIII- The Rock vs. WWE Champion John Cena, The Undertaker vs. Sting, Shaq vs. Big Show (or as I call it Kazaam vs. Captain Insane-O)…There is no way that wouldn’t be bought by well over a million people. Will Vince get it done? Who knows, but based on track record he is willing to die trying.