Source: WWE.com
Who should honor the legendary André the Giant in the eponymous Battle Royal at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando?
Even with just three years under its belt thus far, the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal has already produced an impressive and versatile range of victors.
You’ve got the inaugural winner – Cesaro, someone who the fans love for his incredible athleticism and a natural born psychology for professional wrestling, yet has been held back as a result of his supposedly lacking scope on the microphone.
You have a bona fide future WWE Hall of Famer in The Big Show, who through years of working his backside off has weaved together a career worthy of serious appreciation as one of the best big men in the history of the industry.
Our third, and most recent victor, Baron Corbin was unbeknownst to the casual WWE fan upon his debut in the battle royal, but he quickly rectified that situation when he last eliminated Kane to kick-start what is beginning to look like a magnificent career for “The Lone Wolf” – whom many believe is on the verge of a huge push.
Though it may not be on the level of your King of the Ring tournament – at least in its earlier years – or your Royal Rumble match just yet, the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal has already been established with a nice sense of diversity and unpredictability that never ceases to entertain at this stage in the WWE.
Wrestlers higher up the card would generally prefer to be booked in more gratifying roles at WrestleMania – with regards to the build-up and overall effect that each match has at the event – but participation and eventual victory in this newly recurring contest is still nothing to be diminished, for the right people.
So the question remains; who’s next in line to benefit from this annual slug-fest?
There’s still a lot of ground to cover between now and WrestleMania 33, but here are a few of the leading candidates on the current WWE roster.
WWE.com
3. Big Cass
Though he may not be anywhere near the top of the mountain just yet, Big Cass’ inaugural year on the main roster has seen its fair share of exciting moments.
Alongside Enzo Amore, Cass was one of the company’s annual post-WrestleMania NXT call-ups, and while he’s spent the majority of his time as a tag-team specialist, it’s been his moments of independent stardom that really allowed him to shine.
This was a real necessity in the early-goings too, given that Enzo’s popularity was through the roof as a result of his ceaseless charisma and infectious catchphrases. Big Cass needed to create his own niche so as not to be overshadowed by his partner, and it worked out well given that he’s been the one to shine in the ring.
His unique stature and innate toughness gives Cass a visual edge against his opponents, and allowed him to excel in the Fatal Four-Way last August for the WWE Universal Championship. Since then, he’s been at the forefront of a rivalry with Rusev, and even kick-started this year’s Royal Rumble match against Chris Jericho.
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Big Cass isn’t guaranteed any big-time WrestleMania programs this year – the best he can hope for is probably a tag-team championship match on the pre-show, so the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal is where he’ll really make some noise.
Physically, Cass should be well capable of tossing several of WWE’s best mid-carders over the top rope, and with Enzo potentially settling into a role as the mouthpiece going forward, they could really take advantage of such an early accolade.
Should WWE look to improve its mid-card this summer, Big Cass might be one of the stars they look to for a United States Championship run, and a victory in this match at WrestleMania would nicely set the wheels in motion for that development.
WWE.com
2. Dolph Ziggler
If there’s anybody on the WWE roster in dire need of a big win, it’s Dolph Ziggler.
Back in July, the brand extension kicked off with a huge opportunity for Ziggler to shake off the spell of bad luck he’d seen over the last decade or so of his career.
He’s seen his share of success, sure, but anytime Dolph Ziggler has come close to winning the WWE Championship, the tide changes and the man finds a way to hit rock bottom once again. When he earned the opportunity to face Dean Ambrose at SummerSlam, however, it looked like that might finally be over.
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Lo and behold, he came up short, and despite a fantastic rivalry with The Miz, Ziggler is now involved in one of the least intriguing plotlines on SmackDown.
It’s not his fault, he’s done well to get himself over as a heel since we rang in the New Year, but the competition he’s been afforded has been pretty lackluster. Like it or not, it’s undeniable that Kalisto and Apollo Crews are two of the most underdeveloped, bland babyfaces on Tuesday nights, and it’s because of this that people don’t care as much when Ziggler starts laying waste to them with a steel chair.
He’s just not getting anywhere taking on athletes far out of his league, and because of this, Ziggler’s been backed into a corner on the Road to WrestleMania.
Apollo Crews and Kalisto haven’t done anything on SmackDown Live to warrant a WrestleMania match devoted strictly to them – even if it is on the pre-show – and with so many matches on the card already, Dolph’s only real hope of making a mark at this year’s big event will come in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
We’ve seen with Big Show that this match doesn’t have to be exclusive to up-and-coming stars like Cesaro and Baron Corbin; Dolph Ziggler is a veteran, but without some form of gratification on the grandest stage of them all, Ziggler might be destined to toil away in obscurity for the rest of his career, despite his best efforts.
Credit: WWE.com
1. Braun Strowman
Given the never-ending path of destruction he’s been on since being drafted to Raw last July, there may be no more fitting outcome for Braun Strowman at WrestleMania than winning the fourth annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
Back when this mountain of a man first began running roughshod over the Raw locker room, Strowman constantly craved bigger and better competition – demanding that Mick Foley give him what he wants before he goes looking for it himself.
It seemed like this was over when he went from taking on “local talent” – one, two or three at a time – to facing actual stars on the roster. That was up until after the Royal Rumble, when Strowman once again demanded a more challenging opponent.
Though this seemed like a way to make the match with Roman Reigns at Fastlane, Strowman saying “I want everyone” could easily be foreshadowing for his toughest challenge yet; 20+ opponents all in the same ring at WrestleMania 33.
Given the impact he’s made over the last seven months, the André Battle Royal seems to be tailor made for a monster like Braun Strowman to have his WrestleMania moment. It provides a platform for several of WWE’s budding superstars and tag-teams to compete in a free-for-all fracas to get themselves in the limelight at WrestleMania, but once all is said and done, Strowman steps forward as the winner and looks like a million bucks for defeating half the roster in a single match.
It won’t be a burial either, because nobody will be getting pinned or submitted.
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Realistically, there are very few on the payroll that could overpower Strowman in this kind of match anyway. He is equal in stature as he is in sheer strength, and his name on the list of previous winners would help the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal’s credibility as much as it would help him and his future with WWE.