Title: Shaq to Host Raw
Date: July 20, 2009
Original Source: The On Deck Circle
Synopsis: For whatever reason, I went nearly four months without writing and returned to let people know about this.
I have a few articles in the pipeline, believe it or not, and I didn’t expect my return to writing to involve wrestling…yet.
But with Monday Night Raw on in the background as I worked on a trilogy of NBA articles, it was announced that Shaquille O’Neal will host Monday Night Raw next week.
The WWE has been inviting guest hosts each week to ‘run’ Raw with ‘unlimited power.’ In recent weeks, Ted Dibiase, Seth Green, and ZZ Top have hosted. The hosts have done a pretty good job in their roles and added a few quick laughs to the broadcast, while getting their own wares co-promoted.
I’m sure the logic for Witness Protection is three-fold: promote his new show (where Shaq takes on other ahtletes at their own sports, check it), continue to market himself as a larger-than-life superstar, and have some fun. Shaq never fails to entertain, and short of actually trying to wrestle there are very few ways he could botch this gig.
For WWE, the logic is obvious – Shaq is a huge name, and this should whet the WWE’s insatiable appetite for cross-over media attention.
Tune in next Monday at 9…I mean, it’s wrestling, and I’m 90% embarrassed to even mention it on a sports site, but it’s also Shaq Diesel!
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Blake Murphy Sports Writing 