André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
The André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal is an annual namesake battle royal held at WrestleMania by the WWE promotion. The first memorial battle royal was held at WrestleMania XXX in 2014 and the winner was Cesaro.[1]
The match is named in honor of André the Giant - a WWE Hall of Fame wrestler who at over seven feet tall and weighing 500 pounds was known as "The King of the Battle Royal" due to winning a large majority of such matches he participated in.[2] In 2018, a female counterpart to this match was established, which debuted at WrestleMania 34 - the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal.
History
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On the March 10, 2014 episode of Raw, WrestleMania XXX host Hulk Hogan announced that he was establishing the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in honor of André's legacy that would take place at the event on April 6, with the winner receiving the André the Giant Memorial Trophy (made in the likeness of André).[2] Cesaro would win the match after eliminating Big Show using a body slam similar to the body slam Hogan used on André at WrestleMania III.[3]
At WrestleMania 31 on March 29, 2015, the second annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal took place at Levi's Stadium as part of the Kickoff Show (pre-show), establishing the match as a yearly tradition at WWE's marquee event. Big Show - a wrestler often compared to André due to his similar size and stature, and originally billed as André's (storyline) son when he debuted in World Championship Wrestling in 1995 - won the match by last eliminating Damien Mizdow.[4]
At WrestleMania 32 on April 3, 2016, the third annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal was held on the main card with Baron Corbin last eliminating Kane to win the match, which was also notable for former NBA player Shaquille O'Neal entering as a surprise participant.[5]
The fourth annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal was held at WrestleMania 33 on April 2, 2017 as part of the Kickoff Show. The match was won by Mojo Rawley, who was assisted by his friend, NFL player Rob Gronkowski, in last eliminating Jinder Mahal to win.
The fifth annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal took place at the venue where the original match occurred - the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana - as part of WrestleMania 34 on April 8, 2018. The match was won by Matt Hardy who eliminated Baron Corbin to win.
Reception
Writing for PWInsider in 2017, Dave Scherer saw no reason for viewers to care about the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, given how winners have been booked and further said: "It's great that talent will get on the show for WrestleMania, but that match hasn't meant anything thus far."[6]
Winners
| Winner | Date | Location | WrestleMania | Last eliminated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cesaro | April 6, 2014 | New Orleans, Louisiana | XXX | Big Show |
| Big Show | March 29, 2015 | Santa Clara, California | 31 | Damien Mizdow |
| Baron Corbin | April 3, 2016 | Arlington, Texas | 32 | Kane |
| Mojo Rawley | April 2, 2017 | Orlando, Florida | 33 | Jinder Mahal |
| Matt Hardy | April 8, 2018 | New Orleans, Louisiana | 34 | Baron Corbin |
Participants
References
- ↑ Caldwell, James. "WrestleMania 30 PPV results: (Hour 2): Complete "virtual-time" coverage of Cena vs. Bray, big moment for Cesaro in the Andre Battle Royal, Shield vs. Outlaws". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
- 1 2 "Raw results: Bryan occupies Raw and Triple H says 'YES!' ... with a twist". WWE.com. Stamford, Connecticut: WWE. March 10, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
- ↑ Paglino, Nick (April 6, 2014). "And the Winner of the Andre the Giant Battle Royal Is..." Wrestlezone.
- ↑ McCauley, Kevin (March 29, 2015). "WrestleMania 31 results: Big Show wins Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal". SBNation.com. Vox Media.
- ↑ Passero, Mitch. "Baron Corbin won the 3rd annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal". WWE. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
- ↑ Scherer, Dave (March 14, 2017). "Can anything still happen in WWE, Why should we care about the Andre Battle Royal, Is Anthem the new Turner where management is concerned and more". PWInsider. Retrieved March 14, 2017.