If you’ve been a reader of the ShaqFu Radio blog for any length of time, you already know that the Big Man is a big fan of sports like wrestling and martial arts. Now it seems Shaq is taking one step closer to actually participating and stepping into the ring himself.
If you’re in Florida or southern Georgia (ShaqFu Radio is HQ’ed in Florida), you might want to plan on a little road trip for this coming Wednesday (as of this writing). Seems Shaq is now officially slated to compete in a match for All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
The big – and we mean BIG – event will happen at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. That’s where AEW tapes its weekly wrestling show that airs on the TNT cable network (same as the popular “Inside the NBA” show, of course) Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
Daily’s Place is an amphitheater in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. The venue is connected to the south end of TIAA Bank Field and shares space with a “flex field” indoor practice facility for the Jacksonville Jaguars. It seats about 5,500 spectators for events like wrestling, but there may be some “social distancing” that brings down the overall attendance for this event.
So, what’s O’Neal up to? According to AEW, Shaq will be one of the stars of a mixed tag team match, or a match when there’s a man and woman on each team. Shaq’s in-ring partner will be Jade Cargill, a former basketball standout at Jacksonville University. Cargill was named was named to the Atlantic Sun Preseason First Team for the 2012-2013 season during her senior year at JU.
She’s been a semi-regular on AEW wrestling events since last November. Now by teaming up with Shaq, she’s going to be under one of the brightest spotlights of her career. Shaq and Jade will be taking on the pair of Cody Rhodes, who also happens to be a front-office executive of AEW, and partner Red Velvet.
Needless to say, this week’s event is expected to create some major-league publicity for AEW and their programs. AEW lead commentator Jim Ross says he’s expecting a new level of media coverage.
“Shaq’s a part our family here on TNT, of course doing NBA basketball,” Ross told a local Jacksonville TV news station. “You find out that Shaq’s a wrestling fan, then you find out that Shaq is kind of mentoring Jade Cargill.”
For more coverage of the story and a video of Shaq and Cargill “in training,” click here. (“Training” in quotes… seems like it’s Cargill doing most of the work and Shaq doing most of the talking. Check it out.)
Still, Ross says he thinks Shaq’s mentorship of Cargill will propel her wrestling career very quickly. “She had an interest in using her athleticism and her skills to do something else,” Ross said. “What are you going to do? Well, you’re not going to go to the WNBA, she’s past basketball. But she’s a wrestling fan, which is great.”
AEW is making a lot of waves – publicity-wise – these days. Shaq isn’t the only big-name celebrity to visit Jacksonville and appear on the AEW set and ring. Viewers of the show may have spotted. rap legend Snoop Dogg and boxing icon Mike Tyson.
Seems a lot of the publicity and star-power have come with help from Tony Khan, the son of the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL franchise. Ross says the young man is “intelligent and he’s got great creativity. He’s a true entrepreneur.”
So… buckle up! For full reporting on Shaq’s scheduled appearance, stay tuned – of course! – to the ShaqFu Radio blog.