“I Still Think..”: John Cena Once Subtly Asked Shaquille O’Neal to Join WWE Following AEW Success in 2021

John Cena was WWE’s most popular star in the 2000s. He was the top babyface and dominated the main event scene for much of his career. One of the reasons for his run at the top was his dedication and loyalty to the company. Cena was a WWE guy through and through. In fact, many fans thought of Cena as ‘Mr. WWE’.

Even after he has stopped being a regular performer for the promotion to focus on his Hollywood career, he continued to think about what can be the best for his former employers. He once tried to give NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal a subtle hint about joining WWE.

Cena has been one of the few WWE stars who have transcended their success into mainstream Hollywood and beyond. This also meant his interaction with celebrities and athletes from other sports has become frequent. A few years ago, he even engaged in an arm wrestling match with Shaquille O’Neal!

Moreover, in an interview from a year ago, The Peacemaker star praised Shaq as a sports entertainer and thought he could’ve been a hit in WWE.

John Cena gave Shaquille O’Neal a hint to join WWE

John Cena and Shaquille are two athletes who transcended their genres and became global icons. Both of them have lively personalities and are also thoroughly entertaining. The two stars have also had a few interactions over the years. They memorably competed in an arm-wrestling match which ended in a stalemate.

In 2021, the two famous stars featured on NBA on TNT and talked about a lot of things. Cena attended the interview in his Peacemaker costume and recalled their arm wrestling match. Shaq also mentioned Cena was one of the strongest guys he has faced. Furthermore, the 16-time WWE World Champion, said if it were not for Shaq’s NBA career, the ‘Diesel’ would’ve been a success in WWE.

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Cena said Shaq’s’ size meant it was a shame he couldn’t be in WWE but said there was still a possibility, subtly asking the NBA icon to consider a switch to WWE. He said, “It’s a shame that you were born so large and so gifted on the basketball court because you could have been something in WWE. I still think you can be, I still think you can be.” 

Interestingly, Cena’s words came after the 4-time NBA Champion had a successful run in WWE’s rival promotion AEW that year. He teamed up with Jade Cargill to beat Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet on an episode of Dynamite. The Big Shamrock was involved in a couple of really impressive spots in the match and showcased his ability in the ring.

Maybe the Cenation Leader was trying to recruit him for a run in WWE after his notable performance for AEW.

Of course, Shaquille O’Neal has been a part of WWE before when he participated in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32. Although it would have been fascinating to see Shaq in his prime wrestle in WWE, maybe it’s still not too late for a match.

Do you think WWE should try to get Shaquille O’Neal back in the ring for a big celebrity match? Let us know what you think in the comments.

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