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Athletes becoming Hollywood giants isn’t something that happens pretty often but one of the biggest exceptions to it is fan-favorite Dwayne Johnson. From starting out as a football player to eventually finding his footing in Pro Wrestling, theBlack Adamstar’s success wasn’t just going to be limited by the squared circle.
As a result, despite being the biggest name of theAttitude Era, the actor would risk leaving his Wrestling accomplishments behind and would succeed in cementing himself as a Hollywood icon. The success of the actor on the highest stage has kept on inspiring millions, and it appears it even motivated another sports legend to pursue a name in the movie industry.
Also read:Brendan Fraser’s Secret Rendezvous With Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart Sparks Rumours of the Trio Starring in Jumanji 4!
Shaquille O’Neal wanted to follow in Dwayne Johnson’s footsteps
After succeeding in the field of basketball, following in Dwayne Johnson’s footsteps, Shaquille O’Neal too began his journey of making a name for himself in Hollywood. After making his debut withBlue Chipsin 1994, the four-time NBA champion would find create some buzz for 1996’sKazaambut not for the right reasons, as the film was bashed by critics. The year followed afterKazaamwitnessed Shaquille O’Neal in DC’sSteel, which was once again bombarded by critics upon its release.
But these failures weren’t enough to break the NBA legend’s spirit, as he later explained he wasn’t going to give up, as he wanted to be the nextDwayne Johnson. He explained,
“We come from the same place: athletes that transition. That’s my goal. I want similar type movies, I want to get thrillers, I want to get dramas, I want to do comedies, I want to be the next Rock. I want to do a thriller where I’m like a hero and beat up all the bad guys.”
Shaquille O’Neal also shares a wholesome friendship with theBlack Adamstar and the two haven’t backed away from taking friendly jabs at each other on a regular. But during one of their friendly encounters, Johnson left O’Neal a bit embarrassed.
Also read:“Rock hated it, He saw it as not as a demotion”: Dwayne Johnson Did Not Want to Sacrifice His Stardom For His Rival After Their Disaster First Encounter
Dwayne Johnson once left Shaquille O’Neal embarrassed
Apart from the movie industry, Shaquille O’Neal has made several appearances in WWE and even hostedMonday Night Rawback in 2009. When asked which WWE superstars can the 7-footer beat, O’Neal’s answer involved The Rock. In spite of accepting the NBA legend’s challenge, Dwayne Johnson got involved in a funny exchange with O’Neal as theHobbs & Shawstar left the NBA champion embarrassed after reminding him ofKazaam‘s failure. Johnson stated,
“Shaq is one of the most dominating players of all time. I believe, four World Championships; gold medal on top of that. He made Kazoo. I’m sorry what it is? Kazam. It doesn’t matter what it is,”
Also read:“I was arrested for theft. We were evicted”: $800 Million Dollar Man Dwayne Johnson Almost Became a Prison Punk, Recalls ”Wild Foot Chase”
However, despite his want of making it to the level of The Rock, Shaquille O’Neal’s journey hasn’t been quite successful, as most of his films weren’t received well by critics and lost into obscurity.
Kazaamis available to stream on Apple TV.
Source:CGTN
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2539
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
