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WWE Rumors: Shaq vs. Big Show WrestleMania Match, Draft, Former Champs Returning

By Kris Holt
Published on: 01:35 PST, Feb 21, 2017

During this time of year, WWE rumors are almost all about WrestleMania 33, which is just under six weeks away. The latest batch of reports includes an update on a long-rumored match for the show as well as the futures of two returning champions scheduled to be at WrestleMania 33. There’s also a note about a potential WWE draft this year, along with a possible signee.

For almost a year, the widely held assumption has been that The Big Show will be taking on basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal in a singles match at WrestleMania 33. The pair faced off last year when Shaq made a surprise appearance in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32. He eliminated Damien Sandow and had a faceoff with Show before the two giants were eliminated by about ten other competitors.

Since then, Big Show has been vocal in interviews about the hypothetical match with Shaq taking place and has frequently teased the bout on Twitter while posting updates about his improving physique.

However, the latest WWE rumors from Cageside Seats indicate that the match might not be taking place after all. There have apparently been some murmurings that the bout is off, and those have been growing stronger.

It’s easy to see why WWE might have decided against holding the match at WrestleMania 33. The card is shaping up to be a stacked one, and with so many top names to find places for on the show, WWE might feel nixing the Big Show vs. Shaq match is the best option. WWE is surely also keeping in mind complaints of last year’s show, which ran almost seven hours including the preshow.

But still, WWE adores grabbing the mainstream attention it gets from having celebrities featured in prominent spots at WrestleMania. Even if the match doesn’t take place then, there’s no reason why it can’t happen at a later pay-per-view — despite WrestleMania being perhaps the most appropriate stage for it.

In 2016, WWE shook up the natural order of things by once again imposing a roster split between Raw and SmackDown Live. The move has thus far been far more successful than the previous brand split, with a number of talents being afforded the opportunity to shine that they might not otherwise have had — particularly the likes of Bray Wyatt, Baron Corbin, and Alexa Bliss on the SmackDown Live side.

Yet, WWE rumors suggest there’s an impending shakeup of the rosters, with another draft to take place in June. It’s likely that this won’t be as extensive as the 2016 draft and will largely amount to a number of trades between Raw and SmackDown, but it is a move that will shake up the roster from the main event scene to the lower card competitors. WWE might also choose to consolidate the tag team divisions, which are perhaps not as deep as they should be on either brand.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQgnVhchLDZ/

A pair of former champions have been rumored to make returns to WWE at WrestleMania 33, and there’s a chance they might stick around beyond the biggest show of the year. Kelly Kelly and Victoria are alleged to appear in a segment featuring a number of women formerly involved with WWE, and now it seems there’s a real chance Kelly Kelly will have another run with the company, with Victoria also teasing a comeback.

Lastly, in the latest WWE rumors digest, it seemed that former Ring of Honor champion Kyle O’Reilly was on his way to the company after dropping the title to Adam Cole at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 11 event. While WWE is still interested in O’Reilly, it has seemingly backed off for the time being over a potential legal issue with Ring of Honor.

Be sure to stay locked into the Inquisitr for all your pro wrestling updates and WWE rumors.

[Featured Image by WWE]

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