There may not be a lot of matches yet made official for WrestleMania 33, but there are plenty of rumored bouts that will be able to fill the full card. The top matches are pretty much known and the undercard is coming together nicely for WWE to announce all of them once Fastlane is over next weekend. One of the longtime rumored matches may not end up happening, though, and it is all due to one star possibly backing out of showing up at all.
Last year at WrestleMania 32, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal made a shocking surprise appearance in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. During that match, he had a face-off with Big Show which showcased two massive behemoths staring each other in the eye and ready to battle it out.
Many fans wondered what the point of Shaq’s appearance was and some figured it was just a one-time thing. WrestleMania is no stranger to celebrity appearances, but not usually those getting in the ring which means there was more to this one.
The official website of WWE recently interviewed Big Show regarding the great shape he is now in and his possible match with Shaq at WrestleMania 33. There was some taunting and even making fun of the former NBA star which looked more like provoking than anything else.
“I mean, here’s the thing. We shot this off at the ESPY Awards, Shaq said he’s in, I thought this would be a good match for fans to see two giants go at it. And I see Shaq riding around, singing karaoke and stopping in at Krispy Kreme. I’m like, “Hey! If you’re not gonna take it serious, find something else to do!” I’ve given 22 years of my blood, sweat and tears to this business and I’m doing this favor to Shaq.”
The fact that Big Show brought this match up at the ESPYs and it is now being recognized by WWE means that there was a lot to it. WWE would never have paid any attention to or reported on “rumors” if there wasn’t something being discussed or already in place.
Well, while there may have been something in place, it looks as if things may have changed. While Big Show is getting ready, Shaq may be having second thoughts about stepping into the ring again.
With my trainer Dodd. We’re training for ‘Mania — hope you are too, @Shaq. #CountingTheWeeks @WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/OPco8Lw2BP
— Big Show (@WWETheBigShow) February 15, 2017
Cageside Seats is reporting that this may just be Big Show cutting a promo on Shaq to further along the storyline, but there may be more to his words. WWE may now be having trouble getting O’Neal to step into the ring as he said he would and this could be a way of letting him know how important all this build-up has been.
For the past year, O’Neal had been posting on social media and letting the WWE superstar that he planned on meeting him at WrestleMania 33. Now, it has been almost two months since he last posted about the match when he put up a video of him working out and said, “I’m coming for you BIG SHOW.”
Maybe, the match is still on and maybe, it isn’t. The company has not yet announced it which would make it easier to change plans, but if it’s going to happen, O’Neal needs to show up on WWE television soon.
If Shaquille O’Neal backs out of this rumored match against Big Show at WrestleMania 33, it really won’t look good. Sure, WWE can find something else for Big Show to do, but this is something that has been built up for a full year with promotion, articles, interviews, and so much more. Having Shaq show up at the big event in Orlando would make it even more insane because of the reaction he would get, but now, he may not show his face at all.
