'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Back in August, NBA legend, Shaquille O'Neal, signed a multi-year extension with Turner Sports. Normally in the world of professional wrestling, this wouldn't mean much. However, AEW falls under the Turner Sports and Warner Media umbrella.
After this news broke, Shaq made it clear that not only would he like to appear for AEW in the future but that he would like to actually step inside the ring to wrestle Cody Rhodes, as well. Most people dismissed this however and attributed it to Shaq just being Shaq and garnering attention for himself. Besides, WWE teased that Shaq was going to step inside a ring against the Big Show several years ago and it just never came together.
Shaquille O'Neil has been preparing for an AEW match for months
If this deleted tweet from Anthony Ogogo's Twitter account in September is any indication, it would certainly appear that Shaq is taking this future match with Rhodes seriously. He is even putting in the time training at the Nightmare Factory in Atlanta, Georgia. QT Marshall and Rhodes run the wrestling school.
Looking at the timeline, O'Neal may have been training for this match against the American Nightmare for at least three months now. This is certainly a good sign for all involved that the former NBA All-Star is taking this upcoming match seriously.
The question that remains now is when will this match happen? Will it occur on a future edition of AEW Dynamite? Or will they hold off until the next pay-per-view in February, AEW Revolution, to do the match then? Either way, when these two men face off in the squared circle the entire world will be watching.
