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Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal will return next week on WrestleMania SmackDown. Like last year, WWE has chosen to put the annual event on the blue brand instead of The Show of Shows. Not only this but the competitors have also been announced with a champion from RAW on the card, as well as a returning superstar who hasn't been in action for months.
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal has been a tradition since WrestleMania 30 in 2014. So far, Cesaro, Big Show, Baron Corbin, Mojo Rawley, Matt Hardy, Braun Strowman, and Jey Uso have won it. While it used to happen at 'Mania, it couldn't happen in 2020 due to COVID protocols stating that only a few stars could be in the same ring. The match returned last year, with Roman Reigns' right-hand man Jey Uso winning it.
This year, 17 stars have been announced for the event - including some from RAW. One notable name is Mansoor, who was last seen on SmackDown in mid-January 2022.
Another notable name is Finn Balor, the United States Champion. Here is a list of the competitors announced:
Shelton Benjamin, Cedric Alexander, Akira Tozawa, Drew Gulak, Reggie, Commander Azeez, Apollo Crews, Erik, Ivar, Madcap Moss, R-Truth, Shanky, Jinder Mahal, Robert Roode, Damian Priest, and United States Champion Finn Balor.
Does the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal mean no title match for Finn Balor?
Mansoor has been missing in-ring action for a while now, but that hasn't been the case with US Champion Finn Balor. It was surprising to see both him and Priest announced for the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal as they have an ongoing feud on RAW.
It seemed like all roads were leading to a title rematch at WrestleMania, but that may not be the case anymore. Perhaps the decision to put the Battle Royal on SmackDown was because of the broadcast deal that WWE signed with FOX. It could be another way of pleasing the network executives.
Ultimately, this is all speculation. However, WWE might not be trying as hard to get everybody on the WrestleMania card as they have many times before. The men's and women's battle royal matches at The Show of Shows effectively got numerous superstars on the show. That changed this year with the Memorial Battle Royal moving to WrestleMania SmackDown.
