Watch: WWE Icon John Cena and 7′ 1 NBA Legend Shaquille O’Neal Once Gripped Up in an Arm Wrestling Contest to a Surprising Result!

Many WWE wrestlers who have worked with John Cena would agree that he is one of the strongest men in the locker room. John Cena is recognized for his phenomenal feats of strength. The Cenation leader once substantiated his strength in the ring by hosting The Big Show and Edge at the same time, delivering an unprecedented double AA. That said, John Cena once put his strength to the test against NBA’s 7 feet giant, Shaquille O’Neal.

Aside from being famous for his success in various business ventures, the NBA legend, Shaquille O’Neal, is also known for his immense strength. The NBA powerhouse once found himself at the right time and in the right place with John Cena to have a quick arm wrestling contest. And the wrestling legend had his work cut out for him against the 7-footer. 

John Cena and Shaquille O’Neal test their strength in an arm wrestling match

During an edition of the “ Today Show” four years ago, John Cena made an appearance to promote his new book, Elbow Grease. With two powerhouses under the same roof, the show host Hoda Kotb conjured up the idea of having Cena and Shaq test their strengths against each other.

In a bid to determine who was stronger, the table was set for the Lakers legend and 16-time WWE Champion to arm wrestle. 

Before even starting the match, John Cena pointed out the disparity in the size of their palms. After locking up, John Cena seemed as if he was going to get an early victory. However, Shaq powered out and turned the tables. The show host even rushed to judgment and declared Shaq as the winner before realizing that the match was still on.

Cena bounced back and powered his way back into the game. In the end, the match ended indecisively when Cena looked into the camera and stated- “And that a draw!”. 

John Cena and Shaquille O’Neal recall their close arm wrestling match

During an interview with NBA on TNT, Shaquille O’Neal and John Cena exchanged praises. At the time, Shaq had his first wrestling match in AEW. Recalling their arm wrestling match from some years back, John Cena admitted that he was “outmatched” by Shaq. The Big Shamrock then joked that John was the strongest in the “NBA”. 

Although their match was a draw, it would have been interesting to see it reach a decisive conclusion.

John Cena said:

“Arm wrestling is all about leverage. And if you look at the immediate situation here, I’m outmatched. I’m grossly outmatched. And I think the thing to take away is we both have on fantastic blue suits.

Shaq said:

“John is probably the strongest guy in the NBA. He’s really strong. And he can dunk, off the vert, two hands. He did it. No stretch at all, he went two hands, knees, and I was like ‘OK!’” 

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