Wrestlemania XXX: Andre The Giant Memorial 30 Man Battle Royal

[NegativeFeedback]

These are the rankings of who I think will win the battle royal:

1. Sheamus- Triple H loves him, and as we've seen recently with Orton's main event run and NAO coming back for a tag title win, Triple H takes care of his friends.
2. Big Show- He's been working main events, and the "Andre" comparison might get him the win.
3. Rey Mysterio- He's apparently come to terms on a new contract, so they might want to build his profile back up. Plus, the irony of Rey winning an Andre battle royal is too good to pass up.
4. Cesaro- They're high on him. He's turning face soon and might eliminate Jack for the win.
5. Alberto Del Rio- He must be pissed he's working a battle royal. They might try to appease him by giving him the win.
6. Big E- Cena loves him. He's IC Champ. Cena loves him. Also, Cena loves him.
7. Damien Sandow- Triple H has called him out for the past few weeks. That's always a good sign.
8. Ryback- He has had a fall from grace, but this might be the way to build him back up.
9. The Great Khali- They might decide to not take this battle royal seriously at all.
10. Santino Marella- Ditto.^
11. Jack Swagger- They could easily pull the Bad News Brown/Bret Hart finish and have Swagger eliminate Cesaro, making Cesaro a face by default.
12. Bad News Barrett- I can see him gloating and announcing the GOOD news that he won.
13. Kofi Kingston- He's rumored for a heel turn. Best way to do it will be to have him cheat and get the win.
14. The Miz- To keep his WrestleMania streak alive.
15. Dolph Ziggler- Maybe they want to push him again? He's had some good promos lately.
16. Mark Henry- They might want to apologize for his disastrous booking for the past few months. I'd like a heel turn against Big E.
17. Cody Rhodes- They might have the rumored Goldust/Cody showdown at the end of the battle royal.
18. Christian- He's pretty high on the leaked pecking order. Maybe they have some plans for him?
19. Titus O'Neil- They must have split up PTP for a reason. I doubt this is it, but it could be.
20. Darren Young- Ditto. It would actually be great PR to have Darren win a battle royal.
21. Luke Harper- WWE has been high on him for a while. Maybe Bray and him both win on the same night.
22. Evan Bourne- Stephanie is supposedly a fan. It would be a huge return if he came back and won the BR.
23. Sin Cara- Maybe they want to push him again? With Hunico under the mask, the character might actually work.
24. Drew McIntyre- It would be a true shocker, but dirtsheets keep reporting that HHH is high on him, but that is not shown at ALL on TV.
25. Fandango- WWE might want to start pushing him again.
26. Erick Rowan- They might fuck up and start pushing the wrong Wyatt family member.
27. Goldust- Maybe he eliminates Cody at the end leading to Cody turning heel?
28. Heath Slater- He's the leader of 3MB and all the legends love him. Don't know if he'll ever be pushed though.
29. Jinder Mahal- He's in the battle royal. He has a better chance than Zack Ryder.
30. Curtis Axel- Ditto.

--------------------------------------------------------
I'm assuming Tyson Kidd, Justin Gabriel, Xavier Woods, R-Truth, David Otunga, William Regal, Brodus Clay, Alexander Rusev, JTG, Yoshi Tatsu, Hornswoggle, Diego, Fernando, El Torito, Jey, Jimmy, Shield, NAO and Kane will be either off the card or doing other stuff.

If Luke and Erick have a tag match with the Usos, then I guess Gabriel and Rusev are the most likely to get spots.

 

[HeenanGorilla]

Rey Mysterio? Oh yeah, buckle up, everyone! Time for a battle royal with a heavy dose of irony. Please keep your enthusiasm under control!

Let's just hope WWE doesn't miss out on this amazing chance at...irony. Nothing better than an aged shrimp surviving a ring full of bigger guys. Not unrealistic at all!

I always hoped Bret and HBK would have a 60-minute Irony Man Match.

Then again, I don't see why they ever took the belt off of the Irony Sheik.

Maybe Irony Mike Sharpe could come back to win....too good to pass up!

I can't wait to see how this unfolds now! I was lukewarm before...
- WrestleMania XXX tonight?
- Ehh
- Bryan/HHH, Taker/Lesnar, Triple Threat main event...
- Nah, I don't feel it.
- I hear WWE has an irony angle they can't pass up
- ORDER IT!!!

 

[Pérez84]

I bet:

1-Big Show
2-Big E
3-A. Rusev
4-A. Del Río
5-Sin Cara
6-D. McIntyre
7-H. Slater
8-J. Mahal
9-Diego
10-Fernando
11-C. Rhodes
12-Goldust
13-R-Truth
14-X. Woods
15-K. Kingston
16-D. Ziggler
17-The Miz
18-M. Henry
19-Santino M.
20-Great Khali
21-Fandango
22-T. O'Neill
23-D. Young
24-D. Sandow
25-Ryback
26-C. Axel
27-Christian
28-BN Barrett
29-Sheamus
30-legend

I see Swagger&Cesaro going for the tag titles. Rowan&Harper will probably interfere in Cena vs Wyatt match. I don't think they will be included in the battle royal, as well as Mysterio.

 

[resignedknight]

I think it would be cool if they had ziggler or miz win and say something like, "I don't want this trophy, I want some damn air time!" It seems like a good way to start the disgruntled employees angle they seem to have primed for post-Mania. They might not want to do this if the Andre battle royal is to become a tradition, but there's probably a way to protect the match and get that angle going, something like, "I've proven I deserve a top spot by winning this."

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Battle ROyals are shit. At least MITB used to be an entertaining clusterfuck, if anything.

Get a ten-man tag or some shit for the guys you can't get on the show. This is dumb, especially as a Mania attraction.

 

[Agent Orange7]

It took awhile, but I read through all of these posts...
I'm on the side of liking this idea. I would prefer not to see a "big guy" like Big Show, Mark Henry, Ryback, A. Rusev win this, but I don't think it needs to be the smallest guy (Mysterio) either. I'm a big supporter of Sandow and Ziggler, and I'd like to see both of them get pushes - but I don't think they should win this because they've each won money in the bank in recent years, I'd like their pushes to come in another way. Big E is out as a winner to me because he already has a title, he doesn't need a trophy to go with it. I wouldn't mind seeing Cesaro win since he hasn't won anything in awhile and we all know he's getting a big push soon. I'd like to see this set up at least 3 post-mania storylines in one way or another. Other than Cesaro, I really don't have anyone specific I'd like to see win it, just a bunch of guys I'd rather not see win it --- unless it really means they are getting a true chance to shine in the coming weeks and months. I don't feel like Sandow and or Ziggler truly had that opportunity. I enjoy both of them. I will also throw in that I'm very much looking forward to seeing what happens with The Shield, but I don't want them to be in this ---- unless they are the final three and go from there.

 

[Ap3x_Pr3dator13]

Axel and Ryback have been removed from the Battle Royal according to the match preview, and I expect a Triple Threat or another Fatal 4-Way at WM for the Tag titles:

Uso's vs. Real Americans vs. Ryback & Axel (or vs. another team to make it a 4-way)

 

[The Eighties]

I still think Rusev winning it would be a great way to launch him but at the moment he's not even in it, and my other choice (Cesaro) is not in it anymore.

The booking going in seems to have the focus on Big Show, Sheamus and Ziggler as far as who is getting the verbal push by the commentators, The Big Show and Andre comparisons make it logical for him to be a focus but I don't see him winning, I think he'll be the last guy eliminated though.

 

[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

Battle Royals suck when all 30 men start in the ring at the same time. This is their attempt to get all the people they've squandered and done nothing with the last two years on the card. In actuality they've been doing dark match battle royals at Mania for years. Regardless it's lazy booking and the winner doesn't matter, wouldn't be surprised if it was pushed to the pre-show.

 

[HBK/RKO]

I see a heel winning this match so they can brag about it all year and carry the trophy. I'm going out on a big limb here but I say the Miz wins. He needs a big victory and this might get his career back on track. If a face does win, I can see a memorable wm moment for Dolph Ziggler.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I would prefer not to see a "big guy" like Big Show, Mark Henry, Ryback, A. Rusev win this, but I don't think it needs to be the smallest guy (Mysterio) either.

Agreed. We are (hopefully) well beyond the point where WWE feels it has to give Rey Mysterio a victory in a special event such as this....if they did, it would surely accent the ludicrousness many folks are attributing to the existence of this contest.

At the same time, I wouldn't care to see Alexander Rusev make his splash by taking the duke, given that there is actually quite a lineup of talent in this match, including a few former world champions. Yes, Rusev winning it would surely springboard his entry to the main roster (I've had enough of the same damn promo every week) but other wrestlers have a rep to protect too, and it would be a shame to dismiss them in favor of putting over one newcomer. On the other hand, if management has a mind to do that sort of thing, a Battle Royal is often the vehicle to bring it.

Still, I'll hope against hope that my newly clean-shaven hero Drew McIntyre can finally break through in a high-profile event.

 

[HBsam31]

I like the idea of this battle royal. I always enjoy them, and I think they could add a bit of importance to it if they make it a tradition, and use it to give guys a good push. I agree with the people that said Rusev should win it. It would make for a more impactful debut, and use the battle royal to kick start his career.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

All right, so I made a roster list earlier in this thread, so we could take guesses on who gets included, but WWE has already announced 26 of the entrants:

Upper Midcard
• Alberto Del Rio
• The Big Show
• Big E
• Christian
• Dolph Ziggler
• Mark Henry
• The Miz
• Rey Mysterio
• Sheamus

Tag Team Division
• Cody Rhodes
• Drew McIntyre
• Goldust
• Heath Slater
• Jinder Mahal
• R-Truth

Lower Midcard
• Brodus Clay
• Damien Sandow
• Darren Young
• The Great Khali
• Fandango
• Justin Gabriel
• Kofi Kingston
• Santino Marella
• Sin Cara
• Titus O'Neil
• Zack Ryder

That leaves 4 more spots.

From the midcard
• Alexander Rusev
• Bad News Barrett

Possible Tag Team additions
• Diego
• El Torito
• Erick Rowan
• Fernando
• Luke Harper
• Xavier Woods

Talent who have been MIA
• Camacho
• Curt Hawkins
• David Otunga
• Evan Bourne
• Ezekiel Jackson
• Hornswoggle
• JTG
• Ricardo Rodriguez
• Tyson Kidd
• Yoshi Tatsu

Other on-air talent
• Alex Riley
• Booker T
• Byron Saxton
• Brad Maddox
• Hulk Hogan
• Jason Albert
• JBL
• Jerry Lawler
• Michael Cole
• William Regal

So I'm going to go ahead and assume that none of those broadcast guys are going to make it in the Battle Royal, as none of them have wrestled in a long time.

I don't think any of the "MIA" talent will be in it. I really think WWE is dropping the ball with Evan Bourne by not building up a big return. Tyson Kidd should also have gotten a shot due to his Total Divas appearances. And I have no idea what WWE is doing with David Otunga, but they've pretty much Benoited him entirely out of programming, despite still being under contract.

I'm guessing that the next 4 spots will go to:
• Alexander Rusev
• Bad News Barrett
• Diego
• Fernando

Luke and Erick will focus on accompanying Bray into the ring. And I assume El Torito and Hornswoggle will be doing shenanigans at ringside for the battle royal.

That's a pretty rough deal for Xavier Woods though. Literally everyone who gets some sort of TV time is going to be on the show. But Xavier looks like he's being left out. Pretty tough.

 

[BrutalBarrett]

If and I say if Bad News Barrett gets a spot, it will be his in ring debut as BNB, also, it's will be good for him to cut a promo before the match as he makes his way to the ring, or after if he wins, plus he can have that trophy sitting on his podium during his promos on RAW and Smackdown...where he can bring up over and over again that he beat 30 other guys to win that. Till someone from the roster, possibly one he eliminated, gets ticked off and calls him out to the ring and starts a new feud...

 

[Ap3x_Pr3dator13]

Diego and Fernando of Los Matadores will NOT be in the Battle Royal, cause they are in the Fatal 4-Way Tag Title Match...I don't think anyone from the main roster will take the FINAL 4 spots in the Battle Royal...I see 4 legends being in it or some surprise returns (RVD).

 

[NegativeFeedback]

There are 4 open spots in the battle royal and all regular members of the main roster are already booked on the show. I'm guessing we must be getting some surprise in-ring returns.

So who would you like to see make his in-ring return at the Andre Battle Royal?? Pick up to 4 people, because there's 4 open spots!

My picks would be:
• Carlito- His dad is getting into the Hall of Fame. It would be cool to see him back.
• John Morrison- Bring him back as a regular! I want to see JoMo back on TV.
• Evan Bourne- It looks like WWE has decided to wait out his contract just like they did with Estrada a few years ago. That's sad and just a waste of Evan Bourne.
• Shane McMahon- It would be so cool to see him back. I'd like to see him and Evan do back to back SSP.

 

[TheICChampion]

I agree with John Morrison, but more than likely we'll probably get some "legends" like maybe Kevin Nash. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Jake the Snake in it as well. Or maybe Ultimate Warrior.

 

[ccotreau1]

I would say DDP, Diesel, Scott Hall and Warrior (if they are healthy enough for a one-off match)

 

[MC_Live]

I'd like to see Evan Bourne and JoMo. I'd love to have them both back on TV. Carlito I could go either way. He's good, but I'm not missing him. I would love to have Shane back in the WWE, but not in a battle royal. That would just be a waste. Also, I highly doubt a back to back SSP would work. It's known as Bourne's move, and I think Shane's only done it once, so it's not a spot he's associated with. Having them both do it would really take the shine away from either one, and it just wouldn't translate as well as one would think it would. On a personal note, I'm not too keen on legends entering. This seems like it's going to be a big moment for a young up and comer, so having a retired superstar in the match just wouldn't fit the story as much as a regular performer. Surprises would be cool for people coming back to the company, but other than those previously mentioned, there's not a whole lot of returns I'm interested in that I see as realistically happening.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Off the top of my head, just a few personal old favorites I'd like to see return for the Battle Royal. Some would never happen, but it's all fantasy booking anyway, so here are my picks:

1 - Shelton Benjamin
2 - Charlie Haas
3 - Carlito
4 - The Hurricane
5 - Rob Van Dam
6 - Muhammad Hassan
7 - Rob Conway
8 - Rene Dupree
9 - Sylvan Grenier
10 - John Morrison
11 - Road Warrior Animal
12 - Chavo Guerrero
13 - Finlay
14 - Funaki
15 - Matt Hardy

 

[Limitless]

Kurt Angle - It sucks he is in TNA, but I would totally mark out.
Chris Jericho - The show is always better with him in it.
The Rock - Who is a personal Favorite!
CM Punk - The whole stadium would implode.

Now onto who I think will possibly be the surprise entrants..

RVD
Chris Jericho
Kevin Nash
Scott Hall
or maybe Booker .T

 

[NegativeFeedback]

6 - Muhammad Hassan

I actually wrote Muhammad Hassan and then erased him thinking I should choose a more realistic pick. Hassan was fantastic and should have never been fired. I get that UPN pressured WWE into keeping him off TV, but he could have easily made a home on Raw which was on cable.

I think it's been enough time for him to be able to come back without controversy. I read he is now a history teacher at a high school. As admirable as that is, it's a waste of his talents. He's still 32 years old, probably still in his prime. He would make a great addition to the roster if WWE ever had the balls to bring him back.

 

[VnjWFo]

I've prolly read over it in this forum , what does the winner get? Just the honor is being the first one to ever win the match? I'd prefer if they'd just bring back Money in the Bank at Wrestlemania and turn MITB PPV into No Mercy.

 

[Danny84]

Wade barret,big show , rvd and ziggler final four with ziggler winning somehow maybe eliminate show like Benoit did in the rumble he won

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Ziggler stands no chance of winning. His carrer has been on a slop for a year now. There's as much chance of The Miz getting another WWE Championship reign as there is of Ziggler being a headliner.

WWE are wasting everybodies time if they have an established star win this thing. Sheamus, Big Show and others aleardy have superior achievements under their belts. Give it to somebody fresh.