Shaquille O'Neal is widely regarded as one of the greatest big men in the history of the NBA, and his contributions to the game of basketball has deservedly earned him a spot in the Hall of Fame. As it turns out, however, Shaq also wants to make his mark in the world of professional wrestling, as the 48-year-old appears set to make his AEW debut against Cody Rhodes.

In a recent episode of AEW, Jade Cargill dropped O'Neal's name, as she disputed Rhodes' claim of being a “giant-killer.” According to Cargill, a real giant was coming:

For his part, Shaq has also done his bit in building up the feud between Rhodes. Last year, O'Neal himself expressed in an interview with The Athletic how he's had Rhodes on his mind:

“I’d love to fight Cody,” the NBA icon said. (h/t Alex McCarthy of talkSport) “Write it. Print it. Text it to him. Call AEW up and tell them.”

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Photo: Boban Marjanovic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shaquille O’Neal

Derick Quinanola ·

This is not the first time Shaq has been inked with a professional wrestling promotion. The NBA legend has made several appearances with the WWE, but was never able to make his wrestling debut. He was reportedly supposed to fight Big Show in a WrestleMania match, which for some reason, never came to fruition.

O'Neal is far from his prime in terms of fitness, but he should still make for an amazing wrestler. After all, Shaq is an absolute showman, and he certainly has what it takes to succeed in the world of wrestling.