Charles Barkley Addresses Shaq’s AEW Match

Charles Barkley and Shaq are very familiar with each other from the years working together on TNT's Inside the NBA program. As such, Barkley, a long-time wrestling fan, is the perfect person to judge Shaq's foray into pro wrestling.

Barkley did just that in an appearance on The Sessiosn with Renee Paquette, agreeing with Paquette's assessment that the near 50-year-old Shaq working in pro wrestling was crazy. He also stated that if Shaq had entered wrestling earlier, he could've been great.

"That's a perfect word; this dude is crazy," Barkley said. "He probably can't take the abuse today. But with his personality, he's one of the most fun people I've ever been around. He's a really hard-working dude. He's on every commercial. It's just a matter of time before he starts doing a Depends commercial, just a matter of time. But you know, he's a great businessman. He does a lot of stuff. But with his personality, if he really had wanted to do it like 25 years ago, he would've been great."

O'Neal, who had also previously worked matches for WWE, made his AEW debut last year on Dynamite, teaming with current TBS Champion Jade Cargill to defeat Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet. Shaq's performance was well-received, and he notably powerbombed Rhodes and was then later put through a table near the end of the match.

There is no word on when, or if, Shaquille O'Neal will be seen on AEW programming again, though he has expressed interest in wrestling a match against AEW star Paul Wight. He was last seen on Dynamite being loaded onto an ambulance following the tag match, only to have vanished minutes later.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit The Sessions with Renee Paquette and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription