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Shaquille O’ Neal’s imminent AEW debut has breathed life into the AEW ranks. As per reports, the big man will make his wrestling debut on one of the coming episodes of Dynamite, and Cody Rhodes couldn’t be happier about it. 

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The former AEW TNT Champion is confident that Shaq’s arrival is excellent news for the company’s future.

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While AEW’s motive remains elusive, Cody Rhodes has assured fans that the reason Shaq is in AEW is plain and simple, nothing complicated.

“The power of Shaq, when you have one of these like very, very iconic all-American brands it can’t be understated,” said Cody, speaking to New York Post.

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“The only thing I know about as far as (audience) penetration and just absolute sphere of influence, the closest thing I could think of is Snoop Dogg himself.”

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“For me, that’s really, really exciting. It’s actually a big part — not my wrestler job — it’s a big part of the other job (EVP) because if we build this and they come for this Dynamite, March 3 with Shaq, I hope they love everything that he does and they love everything that we do.

“But perhaps find somebody who they wouldn’t have known if this is their first foray into wrestling that they fall in love with as well who’s not in our match. That’s one of the beautiful things of the rub of and the power of somebody like Shaq,” concluded ‘The American Nightmare’. 

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Shaq will do for AEW what Bad Bunny is doing for WWE

Similar to WWE and Bad Bunny’s association, AEW aims to invite non-wrestling fans into its product by featuring a popular face. Even if you ignore his massive NBA fanbase, Shaq is a very popular TV personality in the United States.

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Needless to say, AEW is aiming for a significant viewership boost. It wants to breach the 1 million mark once more, something it has failed to do for weeks now. 

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Shaq’s arrival could go extremely well, and the big man has been training with all his heart. Meanwhile, AEW has a lot on its plate for the upcoming weeks, and we expect the promotion to pass with flying colours.

Also Read: “I Want to Prepare That Big Tour”- Cody Rhodes Makes a Huge Promise to UK Fans

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Written by

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Luke Dias

1,553 Articles

Luke Dias is a senior WWE and AEW author at EssentiallySports, having published more than 1000 articles on professional wrestling. Having completed courses in Advanced Writing from the University of California and Media and Ethics from the University of Amsterdam, Luke is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Journalism from Xavier’s College. His tremendous knowledge of WWE history enables him to make past connections, adding depth to the articles. As a strictly old-school wrestling fan, Luke prefers Attitude Era veterans like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Mick Foley, but he also enjoys the work of Kenny Omega, Shotzi Blackheart, and The Miz. He is also experienced in Travel Journalism, Short Filmmaking, Art, Music, and runs his own Street Photography page on Instagram.

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