Predicting The Quality Of All 15 WWE WrestleMania 35 Matches

14. KICKOFF - André The Giant Memorial Battle Royal

WrestleMania 35 Daniel Bryan Kofi Kingston
WWE

"How do you bet against Braun Strowman heading into the André The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on Sunday? Doesn't matter who's in the field."

Michael Cole, RAW, April 1.

Revealing an unwitting truth, Cole has a point, not that he should have actually shared it: this is a vehicle designed to sell a vehicle - the Wrekkin' Slam Mobile. This will manifest as a one-plot story in which Braun blitzes through the field, conflating Andrade with Viktor, before the hosts of Saturday Night Live get those hands - if in fact they don't actually win in a bid to secure temporary social media buzz.

This is a cynical take. The last five-to-seven minutes of most Battle Royals are packed with inventive spots and shocking eliminations - "No, not Konnor!" - and generously, there is a wicked pleasure to be had when paying strict attention to the order of eliminations. Which afterthought does WWE give the least amount of a sh*t about?

Imagine being eliminated first from the André The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, man. The cruel among you might even derive some pleasure from the boring bit.

I will.

I will derive some pleasure from the boring bit.

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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!