WWE icon Hulk Hogan’s sharp mustache, long hair, and big muscles were a trend back in the 90s, which created a fandom for him in America. Hogan’s performances inside the ring and his aura, in general, caught the attention of Shaquille O’Neal, who turned into a die-hard fan. From admiring Hulkamania on television to inviting him home for a party, Shaq came a long way through his dominance in the NBA. However, all of that hype and craze vanished after he understood the stinging reality of professional wrestling promotions. 

In the latest episode of Shaq’s ‘Big Podcast’, he revealed an event that he hosted at his house along with his cousin Kenny, back when he was with the Orlando Magic. The 4x NBA champion shared, “Me and my cousin, we were both big wrestling fans. It was like, ‘Hey, Hulk Hogan’s coming to the house.'” However, at the same time, one of Hogan’s famous enemies (Randy Savage?) also made it to the event. Shaq feared that the two might tear his house down, but he was in for a shock.

“They came in together, they ate, they were shaking hands, and they was talking,” Shaq revealed. This is when Big Diesel got to know that wrestling was fake. O’Neal did not know that the act inside the ring was not legit. He shared, “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******.'” 

It’s hilarious that it took Shaq almost 21 years to know the reality behind WWE and other wrestling promotions. Well, at least he got to know by then. Imagine the event never happened! Although he was devastated, he continued to show love towards Hogan whenever he could. 

Shaquille O’Neal’s personal Mount Rushmore of wrestling includes Hulk Hogan

Shaq has first-hand experience of wrestling in the WWE, so he has some great choices when it comes to the best. However, the 2000 NBA MVP was such a big fan of wrestling that he couldn’t limit his choices to just a few. O’Neal was questioned about his personal Mount Rushmore for WWE, and he gave a confused answer, but it had a few promising names. 

Rare Photo of Hulk Hogan Wearing Shaquille O’Neal’s Iconic #32 Jersey for the Orlando Magic

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In an interview with The Post Game in 2018, Big Diesel shared, “It’s a lot of guys…Hulk Hogan. See, but I’m kind of weird because I used to like guys like Jimmy ‘Superfly’ Snuka. Junkyard Dog. Bad, Bad Leroy Brown. I liked guys like that. The Undertaker.” 

Notably, he did not forget to add 16x World Champion Ric Flair and Dwyane ‘The Rock’ Johnson to the list. Well, that’s a lot of stars, but that just shows us how much he loved the sport. 

Shaquille O’Neal Can Run Wild Like Hulk Hogan But Can’t Do What This WWE Legend Does

When did you find out that professional wrestling was not real? Share it in the comments below.