The first Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal took place in WrestleMania 30. Since then we have seen two more iterations of the Battle Royal honouring the late-great Andre The Giant at both WrestleMania 31 and 32.
Cesaro, Big Show and Baron Corbin have won the first three editions of the ATGMBR. Out of the three of them, Baron Corbin was the only Superstar whose victory meant something in the long run i.e. his victory was the only one WWE capitalised on with a big push.
Another interesting point to note is that Baron Corbin won the ATGMBR on his main-roster debut. Could we see something similar this year?
In this article we take a look at 5 members of the NXT roster who could make their debut at this year’s Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
#5 Dylan Miley
First things first, Dylan Miley is more wishful thinking than anything else. He has a negligible chance of featuring in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. However, if WWE does have him debut at WrestleMania, it could really help in building him up. Who is Dylan Miley, you ask?
Standing at 6 foot 3 inches tall and weighing in at over 300 pounds, the former Football player is one of WWE’s best-kept secrets. Having trained at the WWE Performance Center for 3 years, WWE is waiting for the right opportunity to unleash him, as they did when Braun Strowman debuted for the Wyatt Family.
To say that Miley is built like a truck is an understatement. The size of his hands that are comparable to those of Andre himself. He also has a 37-inch vertical leap and is being built to someday take Brock Lesnar’s place.
Miley’s WWE debut will come sooner rather than later, but if it was upto this writer, he’d debut at the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal and leave a swathe of devastation behind him. What a debut that would be.
#4 No Way Jose
Dancing gimmicks have never had the greatest success in WWE. Just take a look at Fandango, Brodus Clay and Flash Funk. You could argue that Rikishi and Too Cool did pretty well for themselves, but their time at the top (well, the top of the mid card) didn’t last too long.
However, one guy who has the chance to go against the grain, is No Way Jose. The guy just has it. He’s a great wrestler and an even better entertainer. Add to that mic ability and a natural flair for the business, Jose has been doing well for himself on NXT.
I would even argue that Jose is ready for the main roster. With that in mind, why not tread the water by having Jose take part in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal? Obviously, Jose won’t be booked to win it but a strong showing can only help him in the future.
#3 Elias Samson
Elias Samson will be on the main roster soon, whether you like it or not. So, why not embrace that and actually give him a chance instead of letting him drift into Vaudevillians-territory.
Having Elias Samson make his main-roster debut at the ATGMBR will have two benefits. One, introduce him to the largest possible audience on his debut. Two, his flaws can be hidden in the Battle Royal while he makes a couple eliminations to look strong. This will give him the best chance to get over with the main-roster audience.
On an added sidenote, wouldn’t it be brilliant if he hit someone with his guitar ala Jeff Jarrett, on the grandest stage of them all.
#2 Hideo Itami
Hideo Itami’s string of injuries since joining NXT has been a disaster, both for the man himself and for fans. Itami first suffered a shoulder injury in 2015, right before NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable. After more than a year out, Itami returned to action around August 2016 but was injured at an NXT house show soon after following a botched powerslam from Riddick Moss.
Itami is back to fitness once again on the cusp of WrestleMania and WWE can’t afford to have him waste any more time in developmental. We need Itami on that main roster as soon as possible. If Itami comes out for this year’s Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, it will be the second ATGMBR of his WWE career and he needs to win it.
#1 Tye Dillinger
Tye Dillinger is ready for the main roster. The “Perfect 10” is one of NXT’s top stars right now and after a successful cameo in the 2017 Royal Rumble, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to expect Tye to take part in the ATGMBR at WrestleMania 33 ahead of a main roster call-up later in the year.
While Dillinger can be a good upper midcarder for either RAW or SmackDown Live, the blue brand could really use a man of his talents right now.
With Dillinger being an underdog, he certainly won’t be winning the Andre, but all he needs is an impressive performance. And you can bet your house on the fact that the fans in Orlando will welcome him with one of the biggest pops of the night.
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