After weeks of speculations, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has officially announced he and Jade Cargill will take on former AEW World Champion and EVP Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet. The match won’t be at the upcoming AEW Pay-Per-View.

Following the first-ever Beach Break on AEW Dynamite, Shaq announced that he and J will wrestle “Cupcake” Cody and Red “Pumpkin Pie” on AEW. He followed it up with a demonstration of his finishing move, ‘Black Tornado.’

Following the announcement, Cody took to Twitter to share his thoughts. The match would have originally featured Cody’s wife Brandi Rhodes, but she is pregnant with the couple’s first child.

Cody wrote on Twitter, “Nothing but respect for such a legendary athlete in Shaq, and I have no doubt Jade will be a dominant dominant figure in our women’s division. But, they can’t touch me in the ring. And Velvet is true grit.”

AEW originally planned the March 3 match for AEW Revolution on March 7. However, there were conflicts in the schedule as the NBA All-Star Game takes place during the weekend. O’Neal is an integral part of TNT NBA coverage, so there will be no compromise on that.

Shaquille O’Neal vs Cody Rhodes will draw great ratings for AEW

It has been 5 years since Shaq stepped inside the squared circle. The last time it was in WWE during the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale in 2016.

“They kept playing,” O’Neal said of WWE management on his podcast, The Big Podcast with Shaq (via TMZ Sports). “First, they said it was me and Big Show. Then, they said it was going to be three-on-three. Then, they canceled it, so when they canceled it, I made other arrangements.”

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AEW teased the match a couple of months back when Jade Cargill made her debut and name-dropped Shaq. During AEW Awards, O’Neal teased the match some more before confirming it today.

Although it won’t be on the PPV, the NBA vs AEW showdown will surely bring more viewers in. Now, we will have to see what WWE NXT does to beat their rivals.

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