Every WWE Gimmick Match And The Wrestlers That Defined Them

9. Battle Royal - André The Giant

The Undertaker HIAC
WWE

WWE named its annual Battle Royal after the legendary performer, drawing from his history of dominance in a match that, really, isn't going to be defined by anybody else any time soon.

The match exists to either appease some 30-odd under-utilised talents or create a new number one contender, and was essentially rendered antiquated in 1988. The first half of every battle royal ever is a tedious mass of static flesh. The second half is often fun and dramatic, but if you were tasked with naming the winner of every match in descending order, you would lose as emphatically as the first hapless prick to be tossed over the top rope.

Patchy or perversely entertaining at best, the Battle Royal can also descend into total farce, as it did in Saudi Arabia recently. That the Iron Sheikh won one of the more memorable matches in WWE lore is quite telling.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!