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“I’ll beat the Rock, he too pretty!”: When Shaquille O’Neal got schooled by the WWE Champion on Inside the NBA, threatened a wrestling match with Charles Barkley

Raahib Singh
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"I'll beat the Rock, he too pretty!": When Shaquille O'Neal got schooled by the WWE Champion on Inside the NBA, threatened a wrestling match with Charles Barkley

In 2014, Shaquille O’Neal claimed he could take down the Rock in a wrestling match, only to get schooled by the WWE Champ

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most dominant players, if not the most player, in NBA History. The 7’1 big made his name in the NBA dominating in the paint, and being an absolute menace on the court. Along with his stellar basketball career, the big has made countless moves off the court.

Shaq is a successful businessman, with a net worth of well over $400 million. Big Diesel has always followed what interested him, and one of those things have been the pro-wrestling scene. Even when he was in the league, Shaq was always close to the same. In 1994, before his 3rd season with the Magic, O’Neal shot a commercial with Hulk Hogan for the WCW PPV bash, and then presented Hogan with the title after his win.

Also Read: “John Cena is the strongest guy in the NBA!”: When Shaquille O’Neal praised WWE star after their epic arm-wrestling duel

Since then, he’s stepped in the ring as well, with him hosting RAW, and also taking part in WrestleMania 32.

Shaquille O’Neal and the Rock get involved in some friendly banter

Shaq and the Rock haven’t had the best history between themselves. Being two big guys in the same industry, it’s difficult to survive together. However, they’ve always kept things friendly and often joke around with each other. During an episode of Inside the NBA in December 2014, Shaq was being asked which WWE guys can he beat.

Shaq claimed he could take down Big Show, Chris Jericho, and Hulk Hogan. When he was asked about the Rock, Shaq said, “Easy. He too pretty!”

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The Rock was on the call with the crew, who obviously had opposing views.

Also Read: “Shaq! Next time I see you, I’m slapping your lips off!”: When Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson mocked Shaquille O’Neal for supporting John Cena in WrestleMania 28

Big Shaq then asked The Rock, if he thinks he could take down Charles Barkley. The Rock ignored the question at first, but then sided with Sir Charles over O’Neal. It was all fun and games.

If the two do ever square off in a wrestling game, I’m putting my money on the Big Diesel over the Chuckster.

About the author

Raahib Singh

Raahib Singh

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Raahib Singh is an NBA Journalist and Content Strategist at The SportsRush. A Computer Science Engineer by qualification, Raahib's passion for sports drew him towards TSR. He started playing basketball at 14 and has been following the NBA since 2013. His entry into the basketball world perfectly coincided with Stephen Curry putting the league on notice. Having followed the league for a long time, he decided to use his knowledge to become a sportswriter with The SportsRush in 2020. Raahib loves to put up some shots in his spare time, watch Cricket, Formula 1, and/or read a nice thriller.

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