André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
The André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal is an annual namesake battle royal held at WrestleMania by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE.[1] The inaugural battle royal was held at WrestleMania XXX in 2014. The winner of the match received the André the Giant Memorial Trophy.
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The match was named in honor of André the Giant – a WWE Hall of Fame inductee 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.
Originally established as an annual battle royal at WrestleMania, the match did not occur at WrestleMania 36 due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.
History
On the March 10, 2014 episode of Raw, WrestleMania XXX host Hulk Hogan established 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 won the match after eliminating Big Show using a body slam just as Hogan did to 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 pre-show, establishing the match as a yearly tradition. Big Show – a wrestler who had been 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 pre-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's Kickoff pre-show on April 8, 2018. The match was won by Matt Hardy, who last eliminated Baron Corbin to win.
The sixth annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal was held at WrestleMania 35 during the Kickoff pre-show on April 7, 2019. Comedians Colin Jost and Michael Che of Saturday Night Live were confirmed as participants on the March 25, 2019 episode of Raw as part of a storyline involving Braun Strowman, who won the match by last eliminating Jost.[6]
Heath Slater is the only wrestler to have been in all six battle royals.
A seventh annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal would have occurred at WrestleMania 36 in April 2020, but due to concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought many changes to WWE's programming during that time, the match was not scheduled to limit the number of wrestlers in the ring at the same time.[7]
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."[8]
Winners
| Winner | Date | Location | WrestleMania | Runner Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Braun Strowman | April 7, 2019 | East Rutherford, New Jersey | 35 | Colin Jost |
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.
- "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.
- Killam, Mike. "'Saturday Night Live' Hosts Colin Jost & Michael Che Will Compete At WrestleMania". ProWrestling.com. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
- Satin, Ryan (March 26, 2020). "WWE Confirms WrestleMania 36 Will Not Feature Battle Royal Matches". Pro Wrestling Sheet. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- 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.