The King of the Battle Royal's enduring legacy in a ring
In short: André the Giant was so dominant in battle royals that he earned a permanent title for his mastery. Today, WWE honors this history with an annual tournament that balances athletic competition with high-profile celebrity appearances and complex promotional storylines.
The André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal serves as a tribute to the French wrestler who became the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1993. Standing over seven feet tall and weighing more than 500 pounds, André earned the nickname "The King of the Battle Royal" by winning a large majority of the matches he entered during his career, which spanned from 1973 to 1991.
Established in 2014 at WrestleMania XXX, the match was officially announced by Hulk Hogan. The inaugural winner, Cesaro, won by eliminating Big Show with a body slam—a move designed to mirror a famous moment where Hogan performed the same maneuver on André at WrestleMania III. While primarily a wrestling competition, the event has evolved into a spectacle featuring celebrities like Shaquille O'Neal in 2016 and NFL player Rob Gronkowski in 2017.
The match faced a hiatus in 2020 due to COVID-19 safety concerns regarding the number of participants in the ring. It returned in 2021 as part of a special "WrestleMania Edition" of SmackDown, which has since become the standard home for the event. Despite its prestige and the trophy awarded to winners, some critics have argued that the match's narrative impact remains secondary to providing high-profile exposure for various performers.
The tournament continues to be a fixture of WrestleMania weekend, with recent winners including Royce Keys in 2026 and Carmelo Hayes in 2025. It stands as a primary example of how professional wrestling preserves its history by turning individual past achievements into recurring annual traditions.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
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