The April 17 episode of WWE SmackDown was the go-home show before WrestleMania. Las Vegas was already bumping with Mania buzz, and they saw history made on the blue brand.
The 2026 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal went down this year in normal fashion. The ring was absolutely packed with Superstars, all wanting to claim a part of this WrestleMania tradition.
The ring was filled with Superstars, including some AAA and NXT talent. Then Royce Keys got his own special entrance. Then Joe Hendry came out to join the match, adn he did not have an NXT logo on his nameplate.
Aleister Black eliminated a lot of people from the match, as it seemed like he was the man to beat for a while. The match continued, and the final five were Royce Keys, Johnny Gargano, Matt Cardona, Talla Tonga, and Black. Then Gargano was taken out by Otis before Cardona was thrown out too.
The final four were Otis, Royce Keys, Aleister Black, and Talla Tonga. Then Black nailed a Black Mass on Otis before Royce clotheslined Black out of the match. The three men left stood up to each other, and then Otis was thrown out by Talla Tonga. Pretty soon, Royce Keys nailed a spinebuster and then took Talla out of the match to win the 2026 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
Royce Keys received a Royal Rumble debut, and that came after a lot of hype and speculation. He left AEW after Tony Khan offered the former Powerhouse Hobbs more money to stay. Keys took the opportunity with WWE, and it seems to have paid off.
The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal debuted at WrestleMania XXX as a tribute to André the Giant, giving large groups a WrestleMania spotlight, though its impact has been inconsistent. Winners include Cesaro in 2014, Big Show in 2015, Baron Corbin in 2016, Mojo Rawley in 2017, Matt Hardy in 2018, Braun Strowman in 2019, Jey Uso in 2021, Madcap Moss in 2022, Bobby Lashley in 2023, and Bronson Reed in 2024. Camelo Hayes won last year’s big match as well.
We will have to see what’s next for the winner of this year’s Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. At this point, the match has been going on for so long that it is full of plenty of hit-and-miss talents along the way. Only time will tell what’s next in this story.
What’s your take on the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal match this year? Do you miss seeing it on the WrestleMania card? Let us know what you think in the comments section!