THIS TIME IT'S FOR REAL: SHAQUILLE O'NEAL AND HAKEEM OLAJUWON GO HEAD-TO-HEAD IN THE 'TACO BELL ONE-ON-ONE CHAMPIONSHIP'

The Ultimate `War on the Floor' for $1 Million in Cash Live

on Pay Per View, Sept. 30 from Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Basketball finals rivals Shaquille O'Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon have signed on to compete in the "Taco Bell One-on-One Championship" on Sept. 30th, live from Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., it was announced today by Leonard Armato, chairman and CEO of Management Plus Enterprises. The event will be telecast live via pay per view, distributed by SET (Showtime Event Television) Pay Per View.

Playing for a prize purse of $1 million, "The War on the Floor" will feature Shaq and Hakeem playing ten rounds for a total of $100,000 per round. In the event of a tie score at the end of a round, the prize money will roll over to the next round. After ten rounds, the player who has won the most rounds, wins. If a score is tied after round ten, a tie breaker will be played for the title.

"Every NBA player, as well as every kid on the playground, relates to one-on-one basketball," said Armato of MPE. "It's one thing to say `my team beat your team,' but one-on-one is for the ultimate bragging rights. This is basketball at its most basic, personal level -- a game of hand-to-hand combat."

"We have developed a game that combines the skills of basketball with the format of boxing. We also guarantee ten rounds of non-stop excitement because of the winner-take-all concept of The Skins Game. This is without a doubt the heavyweight championship of the world," added Armato.

"The overwhelming outpouring of interest across America to see Shaq and Hakeem actually go one-on-one, no holds barred, left Taco Bell with just one choice: to help make the dream a reality," said Jerry Gramaglia, senior vice president, Taco Bell Corp. "It's a defining moment for Shaq, Hakeem and Taco Bell, and one that will go down in the record books as one of the most exciting events in the annals of sports history. We are proud to be the sponsor of this extraordinary event."

Frank Vuono, president and CEO, Integrated Sports International and Hakeem's marketing representative, said, "This event is unprecedented with these two guys slugging it out. I can't think of a more exciting way to showcase the basketball talents of two of the greatest players in the world."

"Shaq versus Hakeem in the Taco Bell One-on-One Championship will be the most fabulous event Atlantic City has ever seen, and only the Trump Taj Mahal could host such a mega-event. Once again, the entire world will be focused on Atlantic City for what is sure to be an event that will go down in history," said Donald J. Trump.

"The building will shake, and no backboard is safe when these two basketball giants collide one-on-one. This is truly a special television event, and we plan to bring the home viewer all of the courtside energy and excitement," said McAdory Lipscomb, EVP and general manager, SET Pay Per View. Suggested retail price for pay per view is $19.95-$24.95.

Taco Bell Corp. is a division of PepsiCo Inc. and is the nation's leading Mexican-style quick-serve restaurant chain with more than 25,000 points of access and $4.5 billion in annual system-wide sales. The chain serves more than 50 million customers each week.

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/NOTE TO EDITORS: Full color artwork of event logo featuring Shaquille O'Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon accompanying this release moved on AP PhotoExpress Network on Aug. 23 -- see photo PRN 2. Stock color logo of Taco Bell available on file.

Also, a free photo to accompany this release is available immediately via Wieck Photo DataBase to any media with telephoto receiver, PC or Macintosh, that can accept overhead transmissions. To electronically retrieve photo free of charge, call 214-392-0888. PRNewsFotos are also available via PressLink. Call 703-758-1740 for additional information./

/CONTACT: Amy Sherwood of Taco Bell Corp., 714-863-4300; or Beth Schueler of Management Plus Enterprises, 310-581-2100; or Marina Capurro of SET Pay Per View, 212-708-1638; Toby Zwikel of Brener Zwikel & Associates, 818-344-6195; or Steve Sless of Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, 609-449-6420/

CO: Taco Bell Corp.; Management Plus Enterprises; SET Pay Per View ST: California, New Jersey IN: RST SU:

JM-JP -- LA043 -- 6799 08/23/95 16:01 EDT