'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
With the Royal Rumble over and WrestleMania season in full swing, many fans are predicting which featured matches will take place at this year’s 'Show of Shows'.
Barring a miracle, we’ll see AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura battle over the WWE Championship in New Orleans, while Roman Reigns looks set to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title.
One match certain to happen at ‘Mania is the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal – the over-the-top extravaganza featuring over 30 men that has previously been won by Cesaro, Big Show, Baron Corbin and Mojo Rawley.
In this article, we take a look at five early contenders who could write their name into the WrestleMania record books by winning this year’s battle royal match.
#5 Dolph Ziggler
Two nights after winning the United States Championship at Clash of Champions, Dolph Ziggler placed the title down in the middle of the SmackDown Live ring and we didn’t see or hear from him for another six weeks.
WWE’s immediate decision to hold a tournament to crown a new champion appeared to suggest, at least from a storyline perspective, that “The Showoff” had walked away from the company.
However, he returned as the #30 entrant in the Royal Rumble and, in typical Dolph fashion, he only lasted two minutes before being eliminated by Finn Balor.
Dolph has never had a big moment at WrestleMania – in fact, he’s never even had a singles match at the event – so it’d be fitting for WWE to give him at least one major victory on “The Grandest Stage of Them All” before he calls time on his career.
#4 Elias
If WWE still did Slammy Awards, then there’s a very good chance that Elias would win 'Breakout Star of the Year'.
The man formerly known as “The Drifter” has been one of the most entertaining Superstars on Raw since he moved to the main roster in April 2017, while he has recently been involved in a mini-feud with John Cena.
While some are predicting that the rivalry will continue and culminate at WrestleMania 34, we think that’s a little far-fetched and it seems much more likely that Elias will compete in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at his first ‘Mania.
If that happens, it could go one of two ways: either he sings a song at the start and gets thrown out by everyone, or he outlasts them all and caps off a brilliant year with his very own WrestleMania moment.
#3 Jinder Mahal
It might seem like a demotion for Jinder Mahal, the longest-reigning WWE Champion since the 2016 brand split, to compete in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal again this year, but where else does he fit on the WrestleMania card?
Realistically, the only way he’ll have a match outside of the Battle Royal will be if he continues to challenge for the United States Championship between now and WrestleMania 34, leading to a multi-man match or singles match for the title in New Orleans.
If that happens, then we don’t expect him to be anywhere near the Battle Royal. However, if he’s not in the US title mix by that point, then he is surely destined to compete in the Battle Royal for the second year in a row.
Unlike WrestleMania 33, where Jinder surprisingly finished runner-up, he would be a leading candidate to win the match if he featured in it at this year’s ‘Mania.
#2 Curt Hawkins
Your reading device does not deceive you – we really are classing Curt Hawkins as a possible contender to win a match at this year’s WrestleMania.
WWE’s serial loser is on a run of 166 straight defeats and he hasn’t been victorious in a match since picking up a shock win against Apollo Crews on an episode of SmackDown Live in November 2016.
But, let’s face the facts (pun intended), Hawkins has to win at some point, and how long is WWE going to keep up this losing streak before he is finally victorious? Maybe 200 matches, 300 matches, 500 matches?
When he eventually does win, it’s going to be a big deal, and there’s no bigger stage than WrestleMania to overcome the odds and shock the world. Plus, imagine the crowd reaction in New Orleans if he wins!
#1 Rusev
As cool as it would be for Curt Hawkins or Elias to get their big moment at WrestleMania, we reckon this year’s Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner has to be Rusev.
“The Bulgarian Brute”, a dominant heel for his first three years on WWE’s main roster, has had a change of attitude recently and, while he still officially appears to be a bad guy, the Rusev Day-loving fans treat him as a babyface in every arena he enters.
The last three winners of the annual match (Big Show, Baron Corbin and Mojo Rawley) haven’t exactly been the biggest fan favourites with the WWE Universe, and there would be no better way to please the New Orleans crowd than by having Rusev outlast 30+ other men to win this year’s Battle Royal.
