During a recent WWE.com interview, Big Show made some claims about Shaquille O'Neal no longer wanting to face him at WrestleMania, and at the time, most of us assumed that those were just to build anticipation for what appeared to be an inevitable confrontation between the two giants at the Showcase of the Immortals.
O'Neal recently said that it "probably" wasn't going to happen during the latest episode of his podcast, but mentioned that, "it’s not totally off yet but it’s not looking good."
Now, Big Show has added to that by expressing his frustrations over the fact that his big WrestleMania match - which has seemingly been a lock since last year's event in Dallas - is now looking like it's off the table, a problem considering the fact it appeared to be his final singles match there due to his contract nearing its end.
"It is a little frustrating because my contract ends in February 2018. So I don't know what's going to happen between now and then. I don't know if there will be an opportunity for me next year at WrestleMania or not. I don't know because there's a lot of new Superstars breaking out and I've done my time. This was my perhaps my last opportunity to have a featured match at WrestleMania. And I would have had a good time working with Shaq. But this is a situation where, obviously, it's above my pay grade. It's between Shaq and WWE. Whatever their situation is, who knows. Either that or he say the fact that I was starting to get in really good shape and he got scared and decided that he wants to bail out.
It's real easy to talk about stepping in the ring but once you do actually step in the ring, it takes a lot of courage and mental fortitude to do what we do. I understand the fact that if it's something that he doesn't want to do, that he's scared of, that's fine but don't put the blame on me because it isn't me. Just own up to it and say you're scared and that's that.
That's just me talking trash. Shaq is one of the greatest big men of all-time in the NBA, without a doubt. I love him as a basketball player and he's a really good dude. This is a little bit frustrating on my end because this is an important thing for me. At the same time, I know that if this opportunity doesn't happen, I know that as long as I've been in this business I'm sure I can stir up trouble somehow at WrestleMania and get involved in something. There's somewhere I can make an impact and make it memorable. And if it turns out that I don't get to be in WrestleMania, at the same time, that's OK too. I've been in a few memorable moments at WrestleMania and WrestleMania is a 'Showcase of the Immortals'. The guys that are on there deserve to be on there, have worked hard to be on there, and are going to give the best show that they can. I'll be there."
It's not looking good then, though it doesn't appear to be completely off the table. However, with just weeks to go until WrestleMania, WWE is going to have to lock this match down fast if they want to promote it in a way which will generate some guaranteed interest in the event from non-wrestling fans familiar with Shaq's basketball career.
As always, stay tuned to The Ring Report for further updates on the match as we have them!