Shaquille O'Neal brings attention to end of an era Monday Night Raw episode as Vince McMahon calls it a day

Shaquille O
Shaquille O'Neal brings attention to end of an era Monday Night Raw episode as Vince McMahon calls it a day

Shaquille O'Neal is one of the few former NBA players active on social media. Outside of his presence on TNT's "NBA on TNT" alongside Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson Jr., O'Neal entertains his followers on social media platforms such as Instagram and X.

Ad

On a recent Instagram story, he posted an announcement from the WWE regarding the final Monday Night Raw episode of the McMahon family era.

Shaquille O'Neal's Instagram story post regarding the latest WWE announcement
Shaquille O'Neal's Instagram story post regarding the latest WWE announcement

The WWE was acquired by Endeavor Group Holdings, the parent company of the UFC. The professional wrestling promotion was founded by Vince and Jess McMahon in January 1953.

Ad

Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.

The WWE was purchased by Endeavor Group Holdings for $9.3 billion with the official merger date set for Sept. 12, 2023.

The UFC and WWE will together form a publicly traded company named TKO Group Holdings, which will begin trading on the New York exchange on Sept. 12, 2023.


Shaquille O'Neal's top moments in the WWE

The former NBA big man has had several memorable moments in the WWE. Back in 2009, O'Neal was a guest host for WWE Raw.

Ad

It didn't last long as the former Lakers center went inside the ring to join forces with the tag team of JTG and Shad Gaspard (Cryme Tyme), who were up against Big Show and Chris Jericho.

There were a number of fans who clamored for an official one-on-one matchup between O'Neal and Paul Wight, a.k.a. Big Show. This never came to fruition, although Wight explained on "Inside the Ropes" that a fight was "very close to happening."

Ad
"It got very close to happening," Wight said. "I think we dropped the ball a little bit on communication. Shaq's a real busy dude, he's got a lot going on, a lot of brands. I think the biggest thing was aligning WWE and Shaq for what WWE's vision was of the match they wanted us to have.
Ad
"Around WrestleMania season it's usually a tough time for Shaq," Wight added, "because there's basketball going on and a lot of things that occupy his time."

Shaquille O'Neal made another appearance on April 3, 2016, as part of the Third Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania. Over 100,000 fans seated inside AT&T Stadium eagerly anticipated the big man's arrival.

Before being taken down, Shaquille O'Neal was able to get the better of Damien Sandow in impressive fashion.

Los Angeles Lakers Fan? Check out the latest Lakers depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.

Quick Links

Edited by Krutik Jain
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications