AEW’s Paul Wight Sends Message to Shaquille O’Neal After Being Challenged to a Match

Are Paul Wight and Shaquille O’Neal finally going to face off in the squared circle? This week, O’Neal spoke exclusively to PopCulture.com and said he’s ready to take on Wight who has been after O’Neal since he was in WWE. When Wight saw the interview, just had a few words to say to the NBA legend, which he posted on Twitter.

“I hear Paul Wight’s still talking trash, so I’m going to work out really hard this summer, and maybe we could do something very, very soon,” O’Neal said. Fans were teased with Wight vs. O’Neal at the Andre the Giant Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32. However, a one-on-one match in WWE never happened for multiple reasons.

“Last time it was due out of bureaucracy and red tape, now there is no red tape,” O’Neal explained. “So, I’m going to go on because I’m still kind of sore from the table, so I’m going to go for it this summer, pump these muscles up here. I’ll be waiting for you, Mr. Paul.” Wight signed with AEW earlier this year after spending over 20 years in WWE. While appearing on the Oral Sessions podcast in March, Wight explained why he left WWE for AEW.

“It was a very quick decision that was made in a matter of 48 hours for me,” Wight said. “For me, it was creative frustration. I had gone back and forth with Paul Heyman, Bruce Prichard, and Vince. [McMahon]. I had some medical issues a couple of years ago where I had problems with my hip real bad. You know how things are there. If you get out of the loop a little, it’s hard for them to work you back into the ring, no matter how much talent you have or have to offer. It was frustrating for me because, yeah, I was making money and working once against Drew and did a couple of things like be partners with Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe, but I was like, ‘I need more than this.’ I’ve never been a sit on the bench guy.”

Wight will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in the foreseeable future as he is a Grand Slam champion. O’Neal doesn’t have the experience but can hold his own in the ring. In March, O’Neal took on Cody Rhodes in a match and was sent through a table.