WWE WrestleMania 32: Andre the Giant Battle Memorial Royal Could Become a Joke

WWE must be careful with how they book this year’s Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32.

The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal seemed like a great idea when it was created at WrestleMania 30. It paid tribute to one of the all-time greats in WWE, allowed more superstars to be on the match card, and is able to serve as a way to launch a superstar’s career to the next level as it would have done with Cesaro had he not been booked so poorly after the fact.

But this match that was meant to honor one of WWE’s biggest stars of all time is at risk of becoming a joke. The idea of it being the start to someone’s big push is a great idea and although they flubbed it with Cesaro, that is still what this match should serve to do.

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Now I’ll give WWE a pass for last year’s Big Show victory since he’s basically a modern-day Andre the Giant. It was a nice gift for a guy who’s been the resident giant of WWE for so long, but the pity victories need to stop there.

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The buildup to this year’s incarnation of the match seems to be indicating either Kane or Mark Henry will claim victory or, inexplicably, Big Show repeats. Mark Henry would be fun since it’s in his home state and this may be his last WrestleMania, but this is not the honor he needs. One thing is for sure; a victory in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal is not a Hall of Fame induction. Have Big Show, Kane, and Mark Henry had amazing careers? Absolutely. Do they need those careers legitimized with a victory in a match that didn’t exist three years ago? Absolutely not.

This match would be much better off making stars rather than honoring former stars who are past their prime. As fans, we would much rather wonder which upcoming star is going to receive a push as a result of winning this battle royal than wonder which aging star is going to his semi-swan song.

I don’t want to make it sound like I’m overreacting because after all, this is only the third incarnation of this match. But having two straight tribute victories would be setting a bad precedent and would likely make this match much less interesting in the future. Rather than giving the victory to Kane or Mark Henry, WWE should take this opportunity to kickstart the career of someone like Braun Strowman or Baron Corbin.

The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal should christen a new star into the company, not honor old ones. WWE must be careful with how they book this year’s edition, otherwise, it may become a joke from here on out.