Several years ago, Shaquille O’Neal was scheduled to wrestle The Big Show at WrestleMania. However, things fell through between Shaq and WWE, and the matchup never took place.
Earlier this year on AEW Dynamite, the NBA legend wrestled in a tag team match with Jade Cargill against Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet. Shaq called it a positive experience and said he wanted to do it again, but this time against AEW commentator Paul Wight (the former Big Show).
Speaking with Victoria Moghaddami of PopCulture, Shaquille O’Neal confirmed he had fun at AEW and that he’s looking forward to doing it again, mentioning Wight by name.
“Well, I’m made of steel, so there’d be no broken bones,” Shaquille O’Neal confirmed. “It was actually fun. I wish we could have had it in front of 17-18,000. But it was actually pretty good, and I look forward to doing it again. I hear Paul Wight’s still talking trash. So I’m going to work out really hard this summer, and maybe we could do something very, very soon.”
When asked if AEW fans were going to get the match between him and Wight, Shaq didn’t see any problems standing in their way this time around.
“There shouldn’t be any problems for us getting together now,” Shaquille O’Neal declared. “Last time there was a lot of bureaucracy and red tape, now there is no red tape so, but because I’m still kind of sore from that table. I’m going to go for it this summer, pump these muscles up. I’ll be waiting for you, Mr. Paul.”
When could Shaquille O’Neal face Paul Wight in AEW?
As for when and where the match should take place, there are a couple of scenarios that make the most sense.
Shaquille O’Neal’s relationship with WarnerMedia benefits TNT. While a pay-per-view match might make sense for AEW, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this bout on Dynamite instead.
Shaq mentioned that he wished he could have done that tag team match in front of a bigger crowd during the interview. It just so happens that AEW has a huge show coming up in New York this September in Arthur Ashe Stadium that could house up to 20,000 AEW fans. Tony Khan is known for planning, and since this is a big marquee match, this might be where it takes place to guarantee a sellout and international media attention.
Are you excited to see Paul Wight finally get his match against Shaquille O’Neal? Do you think AEW will have it on Dynamite, or will they save it for one of their four pay-per-views? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
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