Shaquille O’Neal has recently revealed his plans to face off one-v-one against Big Show in next year’s Wrestlemania 33, and WWE fans were very excited to learn of the former NBA legend’s plans to finally take center stage in the ring. Both O’Neal and Big Show are now taking that excitement and running with it by continuing to trash-talk each other and build hype for their impending faceoff.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, O’Neal was welcomed by the WWE with open arms when he decided to partake in Wrestlemania 32, an annual event that took place on April 3. At the event, he participated in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, a large free-for-all in which many wrestlers were put in the same ring to wreak havoc on each other. Shaquille O’Neal was the second contestant thrown out of the ring and, although fans were happy to have seen Shaq wrestling at all, people definitely would have liked to see O’Neal featured more heavily.
That is why it got WWE fans so riled up when Shaquille O’Neal announced several days ago that he will be taking to the WWE ring again in 2017’s Wrestlemania 33, and this time he will have a lot more of the spotlight on him by going up against Big Show mano-a-mano.
And as if the hype was not already real enough, O’Neal and Big Show are now taunting each other in anticipation for the event.
O’Neal, for instance, recently told TMZ Sports that he thinks Big Show is “scared” to face him and warned his nemesis that he’s “coming for” him.
Big Show is not one to be provoked without retaliation, so when TMZ let him know what Shaq had said, he came back at O’Neal with a fury.
“Do I look scared?” he asked.
Big Show continued to smear Shaquille by talking about his own expansive experience with WWE matches as opposed to O’Neal’s newbie status.
“Shaq’s the one that needs to show up and get it done, not me. I work here. He’s gotta come to me, I don’t need to go to him.”
Big Show is right that Shaquille does not have nearly as much WWE experience, but he should not make the mistake of underestimating O’Neal’s physical prowess. The man is a 7’1″ colossus who dwarfed even his most massive opponents in his Wrestlemania 32 appearance, and his very lengthy NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers showed that he has the strength and endurance required to exhibit some serious dominance in the ring.
The big show continued to trash-talk Shaquille O’Neal when he gave an interview to radio personality Myles during WWE’s recent Dune Bash event in Dubai.
“I’ll smack that sloppy ass straight and then maybe you can hit some free-throws,” The Show taunted.
He also got into the politics of WWE a bit, reminding fans that the ultimate decision of whether he and O’Neal will indeed face off is up to the McMahon brothers and the rest of the WWE administration.
It seems likely, though, Big Show said, because Shaquille O’Neal is a “big superstar” with a “great following” whose inclusion in Wrestlemania 33 would be sure to up public interest in the event.
Both men certainly seem confident they could triumph over the other, but which of them would actually have the advantage is anyone’s guess. They were thrown to the ringside mat at almost exactly the same time during the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, so there is very little frame of reference there for who is the better fighter.
Who do you think would come out on top? And are you hyped for a Shaquille O’Neal vs. Big Show showdown? Leave your opinions in the comments section.
[Photo by Brandon Wade/AP Images for WWE]