‘A Spectacle Like an Andre the Giant’: Reigning Champion Explains Shaquille O’Neal’s Potential in WWE

Published 02/08/2021, 5:00 PM EST

Drew McIntyre is the reigning WWE champion and a big name in the wrestling business. Speaking of big names, McIntyre believes NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal would have been a potential star in the entertainment wrestling platform.

In an exclusive interview with TMZ Sports, McIntyre talked about Shaq‘s huge seven-foot frame:

“He’s shown up in WWE a few times. And I was there when himself and the Big Show had a face-off and Shaq is considerably taller, which I don’t think Show was very happy about!”

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Drew was referring to the famous moment when the Los Angeles Lakers legend had a face-off with the Big Show in the ring. Unfortunately for WWE, Shaq’s NBA successful career kept him tied-up, which limited his WWE appearances.

“He’s a big, big man and a very charismatic guy. If he didn’t get into basketball at such a high level, he definitely would have succeeded in the WWE,” McIntyre added about Shaq.

“One-hundred percent, just based on the size alone. You know, he would have been a heck of a WWE Superstar; a spectacle like an Andre the Giant. But add on that personality on top of it; That’s box office.”

Fortunately for sports entertainment fans, O’Neal will take to the ring very soon. But not for the WWE company, but for its AEW, as they’ve booked him for a mixed tag-team match for March 3.

Drew McIntyre took part in Shaq bowl by Shaquille O’Neal

Drew also spoke at the inaugural Shaq bowl in which he took part alongside fellow RAW superstar, ‘The Miz.’ The three-hour event, a precursor to the Super Bowl, featured celebrity competitions, musical performances, and some football analysis that glorified the event.

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It was a relative success, and afterward, McIntyre took to Twitter to post a few pictures. He made some typically witty remarks along with sharing Shaq’s adulation for him. Here it is below:

Hell of a day at the #ShaqBowl. We let @MikeTheMiz take pictures with us to know what winning feels like
P.S- @Shaq told me I’m his favorite wrestler & how nice it was of me to let a fan get in on our picture
GO BUCS! #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/ZA3fdmkn6y
— Drew McIntyre (@DMcIntyreWWE) February 8, 2021

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Bring on the Shaq Bowl 2.0! We can’t wait for next year’s Shaq Bowl. But before that, let’s hope we witness a re-match between the Big Show and Shaq. These two go a long way back.

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Written by:

Bharat Aggarwal is a sports analyst for EssentiallySports, covering Formula 1 and NBA. A Delhi University graduate, Bharat has multi-year experience in sports writing, having closely worked with the content strategy aspect as well. Bharat Aggarwal supports Manchester United, Lewis Hamilton, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Nadal, Dirk Nowitzki, Sachin Tendulkar, Ayrton Senna, Kristaps Porzingis, and Dallas Mavericks.

‘A Spectacle Like an Andre the Giant’: Reigning Champion Explains Shaquille O’Neal’s Potential in WWE

Drew McIntyre took part in Shaq bowl by Shaquille O’Neal

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