2 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE WrestleMania SmackDown (April 1)
5. Time To Ditch The Tribute?
Michael Cole claimed that the Andre Memorial is a career-making moment for the man who wins it, which is just laughable. WWE demoted the Giant's tribute from 'Mania main card to Kickoff show and now to regular TV, but they want to pretend that it's still a launching pad for aspiring midcarders?
Come on now.
It's time to give this Battle Royal a rest. Nothing against Madcap Moss, but the winners are getting lower in stature by the year too - Moss' win will be largely forgotten about by the time SmackDown airs next week. Or, maybe it'll take two weeks. It won't be long, put it that way.
Individual mileage will vary with these brawls too. The old saying is that 'if you've seen one Battle Royal then you've seen them all', and it's difficult to argue against that point. WWE view such matches as a means to be lazy; just stick 15-20 wrestlers in the ring and let them kick/punch for 10-15 minutes.
The 2022 version was a rinse-and-repeat example of why this must be shelved next year.