WrestleMania 33 is a long way off. However, the event in Orlando's Citrus Bowl on April 2, 2017, potentially has its first match set, according to one of the WWE's Superstars.
While on a promotional tour in Shanghai this week, The Big Show told Shanghaidaily.com that he will face former NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal in one of the bouts.
“We’ll have one heck of a match and we’ll see what’s up. We’ll give the fans a treat,” Big Show said.
Nothing is set in cement, especially when it comes to WWE cards, but the bout makes sense on many levels, especially given that Shaq spent the early years in his career with the Orlando Magic.
Shaq and Big Show have some history from the Andre the Giant Battle Royale at WrestleMania 32.
And the seeds for the 2017 bout were further set three weeks ago.
In 2009, Shaq took some lip from Chris Jericho while playing "host" to a WWE event. Then out came Big Show, who took some shots at Shaq's ability to hit free shows.
The Big Show has had other ring encounters with celebs, notably getting his nose busted by Floyd Mayweather in another WWE extravaganza.
“It was important for me," Big Show told Shanghai Daily. "My responsibility was to get that angle off the ground. This was boxer versus wrestler, which is a big deal in America.
“Not to take away from the drama of it, but I didn’t care if he broke my nose or not. I wanted to suspend belief and get our fans emotionally invested. I knew that if he broke my nose, people were going to talk about it. A broken nose will heal, and I got my nose broken by one of the greatest fighters who had ever lived. My nose was fine in two weeks.
“I’m pretty blessed. I don’t have anything to definitely whine or complain about. I’m very thankful.”
