UPDATED at 3:17 p.m. PT: A WWE spokesperson said in a statement to TheWrap, “”While the challenge was made at the ESPYs, this match has not been confirmed.”
PREVIOUSLY:
Shaquille O’Neal could be entering the WWE ring for an official match against Paul “The Big Show” Wight at Wrestlemania 33 in 2017.
There have been rumors the two would square off since a red carpet meeting at the ESPY Awards last month, but Wight seemed to confirm the news while on a promotional tour in Shanghai for the company’s upcoming live event in the Chinese city on Sept. 10.
“We’ll have one heck of a match and we’ll see what’s up. We’ll give the fans a treat,” he told Shanghai Daily. Wight first broke into wrestling in 1995 and has been with WWE since 1999. He is known as “The World’s Largest Athlete,” with a billed height of 7-foot-1 and billed weight of 500 pounds.
O’Neal may not quite be that large, but he is no small fry. The NBA legend stands at 7-foot-one also and weighs upwards of 325 pounds.
The former Lakers legend is also no stranger to the ring. He has appeared at various WWE, TNA and WCW events over the years. In 2009, O’Neal hosted an episode of “Monday Night Raw” and tussled with Wight when O’Neal was serving as a guest referee during one of his matches.
He also made a surprise appearance at WrestleMania 32 from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, last April, when he faced off against the Big Show in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
He and Wight were face-to-face in that match, but O’Neal was eliminated by a group of other wrestlers in the ring.
Wrestlemania 33 is set to April 2, 2017 in Orlando, Florida.