Did you watch? A lot of people did…maybe you were among those who saw Shaquille O’Neal’s appearance on the pro wrestling show AEW Dynamite, as the big man sat down for a big interview on maybe, possibly, potentially coming back to the wrestling-entertainment world. How did it go? Well… that remains to be seen.
Thanks in advance to our friends at WrestlingRumors.com and also writer Thomas Hall and his related site kbwrestlingreviews.com, for info and opinion on this story. Feel free to stop by their site and tell them ShaqFu Radio says hello. Today’s post is the followup to our previous post: https://shaqfuradio.com/2020/12/09/shaq-coming-to-aew-wrestling/ Check it out for more info.
Keep in mind: What follows is opinion from the writers and experts at Wrestling Rumors. In their “post-game” analysis of Shaq’s appearance last week, it’s still not clear what benefit AEW and the rest of the wrestling world would get from having O’Neal on the team. As WR points out, “Celebrities have been a big part of the wrestling world for a long time now and it makes perfect sense. Why wouldn’t a wrestling promotion want to bring in some mainstream star and see if they can get a few more eyes onto their product.”
But (and it’s a big but…) having Shaq on AEW Dynamite was (very much literally) a hit-and-miss experience. Yes, O’Neal did sit down for an interview with AEW star Brandi RhodesOne of the more prominent stories on this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite saw basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal in a sitdown interview with Brandi Rhodes.
After what would certainly be termed a “mostly peaceful” interview, O’Neal said a few things that obviously annoyed Rhodes, causing her to throw a drink in his face. Planned? Staged? Who knows… It’s certainly a possibility for programs like this. And if so, was it just the opening shots in what could become a grudge and match (of some kind) between the two? Only time will tell…
So here’s the issue: wrestling pundits like writer Thomas and others on the podcast Wrestling Observer Radio are wondering just how “serious” O’Neal would be about joining professional wrestling as a career move. Sure, we already know O’Neal has a good sense of fun, and does get involved in things like wrestling. But the question put out there is this: Would he take it seriously enough to make the show work? Insiders say that’s one of the reasons why WWE never ran a match between O’Neal and Big Show.
Still, it’s clear that Shaq doesn’t need the publicity or extra fame he might gain from some kind of involvement with AEW. He’s already huge in the sports world, and equally busy in “real world” business and investing. He’s always got new projects in the works, and he has a big, diverse portfolio.
Is there room for AEW Wrestling? Only time will tell. Stay tuned to ShaqFu Radio for all the latest on this developing story.