{"id":158931,"date":"2026-04-16T23:30:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T03:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=158931"},"modified":"2026-04-16T23:30:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T03:30:13","slug":"stakes-over-statues-predicting-the-2026-andre-the-giant-memorial-battle-royal-and-how-to-improve-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/04\/16\/stakes-over-statues-predicting-the-2026-andre-the-giant-memorial-battle-royal-and-how-to-improve-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Stakes Over Statues: Predicting the 2026 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and How to Improve It"},"content":{"rendered":"

While fans are gearing up for the two-night spectacle of <\/span>WrestleMania 42<\/span><\/a>, they have one final stop on the road to \u201cThe Show of Shows\u201d: the high-stakes go-home episode of Friday Night SmackDown. This final broadcast is a long-standing WrestleMania tradition that serves as the ultimate bridge, ensuring every rivalry reaches its boiling point before the weekend ahead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While we can expect several promo segments in a final effort to drum up interest for certain matchups, the real highlight will be the annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which will likely take place at the start of the broadcast and gives the roster superstars not involved in the big weekend a chance to claim their own WrestleMania Moment a night early.<\/span><\/p>\n

The prologue to this annual match began in 2014, when Hulk Hogan announced it on the March 10 episode of Raw as a tribute to \u201cThe Gentle Giant.\u201d One of the many hallmarks of Andre\u2019s legendary career was his mastery of the battle royal. He was so dominant in them that he earned the nickname, \u201cKing of the Battle Royal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The inaugural match took place at WrestleMania 30, featuring an iconic moment where Cesaro body slammed Big Show over the top rope for the win. This moment served as a visual homage to perhaps the most legendary feat in WrestleMania history: Hulk Hogan body slamming Andre the Giant at WrestleMania 3.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An interesting element that seems to have been lost is that the match was mainly designed to give 20 mid-card talents who didn\u2019t have a singles or tag team bout a chance to compete on the \u201cGrandest Stage Of Them All.\u201d\u00a0 While the match remains an annual tradition, it hasn’t stayed on the WrestleMania card, appearing only five more times after its debut before moving to SmackDown in 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two reasons in particular led WWE to move this match from WrestleMania to the go-home episode of SmackDown. First, WWE manages a tight timeline; even with the event spanning two nights, moving the match frees up 20\u201330 minutes of valuable time on their biggest show.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The second reason was to boost the value of SmackDown\u2019s go-home show, setting the tone for the episode as the official kick-off to the weekend’s festivities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now that the match has moved away from WrestleMania, for it to stay prestigious, it needs a fresh format that offers more than just a trophy. Before discussing how WWE can elevate the event in the future, let\u2019s predict the winner for the 2026 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

And the Winner is\u2026<\/b><\/h2>\n

Following his SmackDown debut last Friday, many fans now believe <\/span>Royce Keys<\/span><\/a> is poised to win this year\u2019s Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. After first appearing at the Royal Rumble, Keys had been kept on the shelf until his return last week.<\/span><\/p>\n

His match was against Berto, one-half of the tag team Los Garza. Keys looked impressive as he showcased his raw physical power, delivering a running Powerslam followed by his signature Spinebuster for the win. While it was already a special night marking his main roster debut, it was made even more significant by taking place in San Jose, California, just miles from his hometown of East Palo Alto.<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking ahead, having Keys win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal could signal that WWE envisions him as a major, dominant force on SmackDown. If that is the goal, they should have him command the match by racking up multiple eliminations.<\/span><\/p>\n

While some fans argue the match lacks purpose, it served as a vital springboard for <\/span>Carmelo Hayes<\/span><\/a> last year, leading directly to his United States Championship win on December 26, 2025. Perhaps a victory for Keys could signal a similar trajectory?<\/span><\/p>\n

While fans are rightfully focused on this year\u2019s event, there is a broader conversation to be had about how WWE can improve the event in the coming years. There are clear opportunities to give this annual match more elevation and prestige than it currently holds.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What Can WWE Do to Elevate the Event for the Future?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

While there are various ways WWE could improve the match, two specific changes stand out as the most effective for building a stronger trajectory for future years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

First, while there are valid reasons for moving the match to SmackDown, it truly belongs back on \u201cThe Grandest Stage of Them All.\u201d\u00a0 Returning the match to the WrestleMania card is the best way for superstars without a singles or tag team bout to have still the opportunity to compete on a stage equivalent to the Super Bowl.<\/span><\/p>\n

The second fix is more unique than simply returning the match to WrestleMania: add actual stakes to the win. Rather than just receiving a trophy, the winner could be granted the right to challenge for either the United States or Intercontinental Championship.<\/span><\/p>\n

Imagine Royce Keys winning this year with those stakes on the line. Depending on the fallout of WrestleMania 42, we could see him challenge <\/span>Trick Williams<\/span><\/a> for the United States Championship or face off against <\/span>Je\u2019Von Evans<\/span><\/a> for the Intercontinental Championship. Adding that incentive would create the purpose and meaning necessary to get fans truly invested in the match.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By implementing a tangible reward, the match could finally become a true launchpad for a mid-carder who needs that one pivotal win to catapult them to the next level.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

Ultimately, the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal needs to feel like more than just a kickoff to WrestleMania weekend or a consolation prize for those left off the main card. It must offer a legitimate reward for the winner, rather than just a shiny trophy.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While fans are gearing up for the two-night spectacle of WrestleMania 42, they have one final stop on the road to \u201cThe Show of Shows\u201d: the high-stakes go-home episode of Friday Night SmackDown. This final broadcast is a long-standing WrestleMania tradition that serves as the ultimate bridge, ensuring every rivalry reaches its boiling point before […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5699,"featured_media":158829,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2192,26,4,3],"tags":[8840,9655],"class_list":["post-158931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wrestling","category-smackdown","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-andre-the-giant-battle-royal","tag-wwe-wrestlemania-42"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5699"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158931"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158931\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":158942,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158931\/revisions\/158942"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}