9 Huge Problems With Big Show Vs Shaquille O'Neal At WWE WrestleMania 33
This isn't seriously going to happen, is it?
The ongoing and confusing rivalry that has developed between WWE stalwart Big Show and NBA icon Shaquille O'Neal is poised to reach fever pitch after Shaq accepted a bold challenge for a WrestleMania 33 match.
Amongst some awkward-yet-manly hugs of appreciation, the man mountains addressed each other on the red carpet of the ESPY Awards where Big Show threw down the gauntlet for a meeting on April 2, 2017 in Orlando.
Show and Shaq have been scrapping at each other since 2009 when the former NBA star was guest hosting Monday Night Raw. Seven years after Big Show ate a Shaquille clothesline, the pair resumed hostilities in the WrestleMania 32 Andre the Giant Battle Royal, eventually leading to their eliminations.
Now, less than nine months away from WrestleMania 33, Vince McMahon and his band of merry men have some contemplating to do.
The company's social media accounts have already embraced the match-up, indicating that the fantasy bout is heading for an inevitable reality. After all, it would be difficult for WWE to deny an opportunity to break out into mainstream media.
However, just because it could happen doesn't mean it necessarily should. Understandably, WWE Universe members have a barrage of questions in regards to the potential match, most commonly 'why?'.
As fun as the concept may seem, there are some giant holes in the logic behind booking this match for 'Mania - or at all...
9. NBA Fans Won't Go Out Of Their Way To Watch
It seems as though WWE is overcompensating for the amount of people who will actually care about this match. It might have been a hot ticket on face value 10 years ago, but certainly not now. Not to rag on Shaq, but someone within WWE has to see a spade for a spade before this gets too out of hand.
Shaquille O'Neal is undoubtedly a name that is synonymous with elite professional basketball, but he has been retired since 2011 and his only major contribution to sports media is tongue-in-cheek analysis for NBA on TNT. Of course he will still have his fans, but how many of those are willing to pay money to watch him perform on a platform they may have little, if any, familiarity with?
It doesn't help the case when Shaq's opponent is a man in the twilight of his career who hasn't exactly been a prominent figure on WWE programming, especially in recent times.
WWE is clearly playing on the fantasy match-up factor but it's hard to get hyped about a contest between two competitors who are past their best years. Maybe if WWE pitted John Cena against LeBron James then this kind of dream match would draw a crowd.