When Shaquille O'Neal Fell For A Lie In His AEW Debut

As a four-time NBA Champion and three-time NBA Finals MVP, it is undeniable that Shaquille O'Neal has had a legendary career as an athlete. However, many of his fans may not be aware that the NBA Hall of Famer has something of a storied history in professional wrestling as well.

O'Neal has previously shared that he is a lifelong wrestling fan (per USA Today), and his history in the industry dates all the way back to the heyday of WCW in the 1990s. Following his brief string of WCW appearances, the towering basketball center eventually hosted an episode of "WWE Monday Night Raw," during which a feud was ignited between himself and Paul "The Big Show" Wight that continues to this day. Unfortunately, a singles match has yet to take place. 

The baller later made his in-ring debut at WrestleMania 32 in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale, staring down Wight before being eliminated from the match. He then went on to work with WWE's rival promotion AEW, presumably due to the network connection between "Inside the NBA," which he co-hosts, and "AEW Dynamite." However, O'Neal wasn't ready for what was in store for him in his first AEW match.

By March of 2021, after several appearances on "Dynamite," Shaquille O'Neal was scheduled for a match partnering with Jade Cargill against Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet. One of the most memorable spots during the match saw Rhodes do a crossbody jump from the ring, landing right on O'Neal and planting him through a nearby table. The landing may have come a little bit harder than O'Neal expected, and that is due to the man who trained him for the bout -– QT Marshall.

In the aftermath of the match, Marshall stated that he hadn't been quite truthful with the former NBA star regarding that particular moment. "I told him, 'Oh, it won't be that bad, we'll put a really thick pad underneath,' which was not true," Marshall told Digital Spy. "I just didn't want him to back out of it."

Regardless of your opinion on Marshall's training methods, there's no denying the match was a success. It provided a strong ratings boost for the show and helped kick off Cargill's career in a memorable fashion.