10 Times The Competition Totally Embarrassed WWE

1. AEW Convincing Shaq To Work A Proper Match

Steve Austin Samoa Joe
AEW

WWE tried for years to convince Shaq to work a proper match with the Big Show.

It was teased via a showdown during the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32 with the idea of promoting it at next year's Orlando-held event.

It never happened, rendering the mewling cries of "You'd have hated that Shaq match if it was in WWE [cry-laugh emoji x7]" utterly irrelevant. WWE couldn't get his name on the contract. "If," "if," "if". It's always "ifs" with some people.

Sadly, nobody will ever know!

Shaq revealed back in 2017 that WWE "kept playing" and ultimately "messed it up". And wouldn't you just know it, Vince McMahon's trademark tinkering pissed him off enough to end negotiations. Shaq was first told that he'd work Show one-on-one. This changed to a three on three. Then, according to Shaq, it was cancelled outright.

AEW of course did secure the signature, and after a drawn-out build throughout which he didn't seem particularly up for it, he over-delivered on the night. Mauling Austin Gunn; fancy footwork as a great heel taunt; unleashing a better powerbomb, legitimately, than many actual wrestlers who used it as a finish: Shaq was awesome in the strictest definition, and he ate two tables to get a shockingly great celebrity match all the way over.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!