.jpg) The André the Giant Memorial Trophy, awarded to the winner of the Battle Royal. | |
| Founded | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Organizing body | WWE |
| Most recent champion | Carmelo Hayes (2025) |
| Tournament format | Battle royal |
TheAndré the Giant Memorial Battle Royal is a namesakebattle royal held as part ofWrestleMania weekend by theAmericanprofessional wrestling promotionWWE. The winner of the match receives the André the Giant Memorial Trophy. The inaugural battle royal was held atWrestleMania XXX in 2014 and was won byCesaro. The most recent winner of the 2025 match wasCarmelo Hayes ahead ofWrestleMania 41.
The match is named in honor ofAndré the Giant, the firstWWE Hall of Fame inductee who at over seven feet tall and weighing over 500 pounds was known as "The King of the Battle Royal" due to winning a large majority of such matches he participated in. A short-lived female counterpart called theWrestleMania Women's Battle Royal was held in 2018 and 2019.
Originally established as an annual battle royal held at either WrestleMania itself or its Kickoff pre-show, the match did not occur atWrestleMania 36 in 2020 due to concerns over theCOVID-19 pandemic. It returned in 2021, airing on a special "WrestleMania Edition" ofSmackDown the night beforeWrestleMania 37. TheSmackDown prior to WrestleMania has since been established as the start of WrestleMania Weekend with the battle royal becoming a fixture of thespecial episode.
André the Giant was a Frenchprofessional wrestler. He was best known for his time in the Americanprofessional wrestling promotionWWE. He signed with the company in 1973 when it was still known by its original name of World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), which was renamed to World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1979, and he continued performing for the promotion until 1991 (the WWF was renamed to WWE in 2002). Following his death in 1993, André was the inaugural inductee into the promotion'sHall of Fame as the sole inductee for theClass of 1993. At over seven feet tall and weighing 500 pounds, André was known as "The King of the Battle Royal" due to winning a large majority of such matches he participated in.[1][2][3]
On the March 10, 2014, episode ofRaw,WrestleMania XXX hostHulk Hogan announced the establishment of the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. The match was established in honor ofAndré's legacy. It took place at WrestleMania XXX on April 6, with the winner receiving the André the Giant Memorial Trophy, made in the likeness of André.[4]Cesaro won the inaugural match after eliminatingBig Show using abody slam, mimicking the famous moment of when Hogan performed a body slam on André atWrestleMania III.[5][6]
AtWrestleMania 31 on March 29, 2015, the second annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal took place as part of the event's Kickoff pre-show, thus establishing the match as a yearly tradition. Big Show—a wrestler who had been often compared to André due to his similar size and stature and who was originally billed as André's (storyline) son when he debuted inWorld Championship Wrestling in 1995—won the match by last eliminatingDamien Mizdow.[7]
While primarily contested by professional wrestlers, celebrities from other fields began to make appearances in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal beginning with the third annual match atWrestleMania 32 in 2016. This match, which occurred on the main card, featured formerNational Basketball Association playerShaquille O'Neal entering as a surprise participant, confronting Big Show. The match itself was won byBaron Corbin, who last eliminatedKane to win.[8]
The following year's match occurred on April 2, 2017, on theWrestleMania 33 Kickoff pre-show. Although not a participant in the match itself, the match did feature a surprise appearance byNational Football League playerRob Gronkowski, who assisted his real life friendMojo Rawley, enabling Rawley to last eliminateJinder Mahal to win the match.[9]
The fifth annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal took place as part ofWrestleMania 34's Kickoff pre-show on April 8, 2018. Unlike the past couple of years, this match did not feature any celebrity appearances, but the match was won byMatt Hardy, who last eliminated Baron Corbin to win.[10] Also at WrestleMania 34, a women's version of the match was established, called theWrestleMania Women's Battle Royal.[11]
The sixth annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal was held as part ofWrestleMania 35's Kickoff pre-show on April 7, 2019. This year's battle royal was unique in that there was a storyline going into the match with the two celebrity guest participants. Prior to the event, comediansColin Jost andMichael Che ofSaturday Night Live began appearing onRaw as part of a storyline withBraun Strowman, which ultimately led to them being scheduled as participants in the match. Strowman ultimately won the match by last eliminating Jost.[12][13]
The match did not occur atWrestleMania 36 in 2020 due to concerns stemming from theCOVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic brought many changes to WWE's programming during that time, and the battle royal was not scheduled so as to limit the number of wrestlers in the ring at the same time. WrestleMania 36 itself, which was WWE's firstpay-per-view andlivestreaming event affected by the pandemic, was relocated and heldbehind closed doors at theWWE Performance Center inOrlando, Florida.[14]
On April 1, 2021, WWE announced the return of the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Unlike previous editions of the match, the seventh battle royal was not held at WrestleMania itself. Instead, it aired as part of the April 9 episode ofSmackDown, the night beforeWrestleMania 37, with the episode promoted asWrestleMania SmackDown.[15][16] The show waspre-taped on April 2,[17][18] andJey Uso won the match by last eliminatingShinsuke Nakamura.[19]
The eighth André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal took place on April 1, 2022, during the specialWrestleMania SmackDown, which airedlive the night beforeWrestleMania 38.[20]Madcap Moss won the match by last eliminatingFinn Bálor.[21]
The ninth André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal took place on March 31, 2023, during the specialWrestleMania SmackDown, which aired live the night beforeWrestleMania 39.[22]Bobby Lashley won the match by last eliminatingBronson Reed.[23]
The 10th edition of the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal took place duringWrestleMania SmackDown on April 5, 2024, at theWells Fargo Center inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, the night prior toWrestleMania XL.[24] The prior year's runner up, Bronson Reed, won the 2024 match by last eliminatingIvar.[25]
The 11th edition of the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal took place duringWrestleMania SmackDown on April 18, 2025, at theT-Mobile Arena inParadise, Nevada, the night prior toWrestleMania 41.[26]Carmelo Hayes won the match by last eliminatingAndrade.[27]
Writing forPWInsider in 2017,Dave Scherer saw no reason for viewers to care about the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, given how winners have been booked and further said: "It's great that talent will get on the show for WrestleMania, but that match hasn't meant anything thus far".[28]
The battle royal has been held every year since 2014, except in 2020 forWrestleMania 36 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
| No. | Winner | Runner up | WrestleMania Weekend | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cesaro | Big Show | XXX | New Orleans,Louisiana | April 6, 2014 |
| 2 | Big Show | Damien Mizdow | 31[note 1] | Santa Clara, California | March 29, 2015 |
| 3 | Baron Corbin | Kane | 32 | Arlington, Texas | April 3, 2016 |
| 4 | Mojo Rawley | Jinder Mahal | 33[note 1] | Orlando, Florida | April 2, 2017 |
| 5 | Matt Hardy | Baron Corbin | 34[note 1] | New Orleans,Louisiana | April 8, 2018 |
| 6 | Braun Strowman | Colin Jost | 35[note 1] | East Rutherford, New Jersey | April 7, 2019 |
| 7 | Jey Uso | Shinsuke Nakamura | 37[note 2] | St. Petersburg, Florida | April 2, 2021 |
| 8 | Madcap Moss | Finn Bálor | 38[note 2] | Dallas,Texas | April 1, 2022 |
| 9 | Bobby Lashley | Bronson Reed | 39[note 2] | Los Angeles,California | March 31, 2023 |
| 10 | Bronson Reed | Ivar | XL[note 2] | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | April 5, 2024 |
| 11 | Carmelo Hayes | Andrade | 41[note 2] | Las Vegas, Nevada | April 18, 2025 |