Don’t ask Shaquille O’Neal how old he was when he found out all the storylines on WWE aren’t real. That piece of information destroyed him. With DaBaby on The Big Podcast, O’Neal expressed the deep annoyance he felt at 21 when he found out Hulk Hogan didn’t break furniture regularly. He must’ve been heartbroken realizing the legends about Andre the Giant are made up too. Over the years, the anger of that revelation gave way to inspiration. He revealed to Adam Lefkoe and DaBaby how he adapted the WWE strategy to the NBA.

But first, Lefkoe teased him a bit about discovering the WWE’s storyline gimmicks. Shaq admitted, “I was so mad,” realizing those rivalries weren’t real. But he saw they actually worked. Lefkoe pointed out that Shaq’s brain worked in unique ways. He asked Shaq when he started using the WWE marketing blueprint in other ways. “Patrick Ewing and David Robinson,” Shaq promptly said.

For instance, Shaq devised a plan to overthrow Spurs legend, David Robinson, as one of the best centers in the league. They were constantly at war on the court and were insanely competitive. There was an urban legend that Robinson denied teenage Shaq an autograph, which is why the then Orlando center went hard against him. Years after the media ran with this tale, Shaq admitted it was fake.

O’Neal and DaBaby explained the WWE strategy works effectively. In front of the cameras, they keep a rivalry. Out of sight, Shaq maintained a respectful relationship with his so-called rivals. Even Hogan’s fantasy rivalry with Andre the Giant, like claiming he could beat him in his dream matchup, drives up Shaq’s competitive image.

DaBaby, though, says that Shaq is a genius for faking rivalries that way. He, on the other hand, can’t hide his dislike towards anyone both on and off camera. But a rapper’s beef is a lot different than the reality of WWE, something only Shaq can relate to.

Shaquille O’Neal’s youth was shattered by WWE’s reality

O’Neal revealed that on a previous edition of The Big Podcast. He was the young upstart at Orlando Magic, then with a new house and finally mingling with his favorite wrestlers like Hulk Hogan. He and his cousin, Kenny (not Shaq’s TNT co-host) hosted a party with O’Neal’s celebrity friends, including Hogan.

“They came in together, they ate, they were shaking hands, and they was talking,” Shaq recalled bitterly. Hogun wasn’t throwing furniture at people, roaring, and body slamming. That party was spent with Shaq and cousin Kenny grieving their childhood wrestling fantasies. “Me and Kenny was hurt that wrestling was fake…Devastated. Kenny was like 18-19, I’m like 20-21. I had the biggest house in Orlando…All the guys that were supposed to be fighting in the match were there, chilling, drinking…and me and Kenny on the back like, ‘You motherf****.’”

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Something good at least came out of that setback. O’Neal spiced up his NBA career with notorious rivalries. Hard to tell which one is real and which is fake though. Any guesses?