Ever since the trailer for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, audiences were arguably as excited for the teased Wong and Abomination fight as they were for the film itself. Featuring a villain unseen since The Incredible Hulk in 2008 facing off against a fan-favorite wizard from Doctor Strange, the unlikely pairing promised a unique connection to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was reserved in the pairing, it could hint at far greater things to come for both characters.
The fight itself is brief, as Shang-Chi delves into the world of underground superhuman blood matches in order to speak with his sister, who turns out to be running the show. Given the popularity of the video featuring his fight on a San Francisco bus, Shang-Chi is assured he will participate in one of the premier matches of the evening.
The previous match helps demonstrate the superhuman scale he is now operating on, as the Hulk-like Abomination faces off against the mystical Wong. Wong uses his sling ring to create a portal that redirects one of Abomination's super-powered punches back into his own face, ending the match quickly.
However, perhaps more exciting than the match itself is the snippet seen of the two just after the fight. Rather than being treated as a random pairing of fighters, Wong offers Abomination some advice before the two retreat back through another portal together. It would have been easy to treat the two as total strangers randomly matched up by the underground organization, but instead, there seems to be a rapport established between the two. They are sparring partners, hinting at Wong training Abomination for something far more exciting than cage matches yet to come.
Abomination himself is not totally without skill, as he was originally known as an elite soldier named Emil Blonsky, specifically selected for the super soldier treatment given his sterling record. When Blonsky grew greedy for power and added the Hulk's powers to his cocktail of government super soldier drugs, he became the Abomination and wrecked part of Harlem in his ensuing fight, and he has ever since been imprisoned in a government compound. With the assistance of Wong's sling rings, it seems he is not only getting a little freedom but perhaps getting the same lessons in control and self-guidance that first helped Banner master his own hulking persona.
Elsewhere in the MCU, the world seems to be reeling in the absence of the original Avengers, as Captain America retired, Iron Man and Black Widow died and Thor went off-world. It is known from Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Black Widow that Allegra de Fontaine is building her own team of characters similar to the Avengers, and Abomination would be a natural fit for a Hulk-like pick. In failing to bring Blonsky the control he needs to serve the government as a soldier once more, it's possible that Wong's guidance was sought to see if the mystic arts could succeed where more conventional methods previously failed.
This could well be a sign that Abomination is being groomed to serve on a team like the Thunderbolts or Dark Avengers from the comics. Both teams are primarily composed of previously villainous characters who serve the government in a public capacity as heroes.
It is known that Blonsky was previously considered a potential hero for the government to use, so following his rampage in Harlem, it seems the government did not lock him up and throw away the key so much as hold onto the key and wonder when best to use it. At the very least, the hinted relationship between Wong and Abomination promises more love for Marvel's side characters in the future, and the unique partnership may prove to be as much a draw to future projects as it was to Shang-Chi.