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WrestleMania 28 will take place in Miami on April 1. The annual spectacle will feature one of the biggest (former) sports stars in the world, one of the most popular wrestlers of all time and a Washington native defending a world championship.
Jim Varsallone of the Miami Herald reports that Shaquille O'Neal has verbally confirmed that he'll be in attendance at WrestleMania, but as of right now, the WWE is denying that he'll be wrestling. This is almost certainly a smokescreen on the part of the promotion, as the WWE has been trying to get Shaq to perform at a WrestleMania for years. WWE notoriously cannot stand having their plans get out before they're ready, so the denial is likely just a stopgap measure until the company can start involving Shaq on TV to build up to a match. The likely opponent for the former NBA superstar is "the world's largest athlete," the Big Show.
Shaq has a long relationship with WWE, appearing on many shows over the years as a celebrity guest. The promotion has been actively pursuing the former NBA superstar for years, but the scheduling never worked out prior to this year's event. Shaq and Big Show have been slowly building an on-screen feud since Shaq hosted WWE Raw in July of 2009.
Washington fans will have plenty of reasons to cheer (or boo, as they see fit), as Aberdeen native and Internet darling Daniel Bryan will be entering WrestleMania 28 as the World Heavyweight Champion. He will defend the title against fan favorite Sheamus. Although it will be one of two world title matches, it will likely not be the main event on the show.
The other two announced matches are CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho for the WWE Championship and the perceived main event of John Cena vs. The Rock.
For updates on Daniel Bryan and this year's event in Miami, keep checking this StoryStream. For all news and information regarding WrestleMania 28 and pro wrestling in general, please visit Cageside Seats.