7 Top WWE Superstars who were demoted to kickoff shows

Anybody who watches WWE pay-per-views will know that kickoff shows are simply designed to get more people interested in the main PPV.

The pre-PPV broadcast, which usually lasts for one hour, became a regular feature following WrestleMania XXVIII, where Epico & Primo successfully defended their WWE Tag Team titles in a Triple Threat match against The Usos and Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd before the main show began.

Since then, at least one match has taken place before almost every WWE PPV, with the least meaningful match on the card usually being selected for that spot.

At WWE Payback 2020, for example, the kickoff show featured just one match – Liv Morgan & Ruby Riott vs. Billie Kay & Peyton Royce – but the big update in that rivalry was saved for the next episode of WWE RAW when The IIconics were forced to separate.

Now, even though the kickoff show usually includes relatively meaningless matches with little-to-no storyline developments, there have been a few occasions over the years when high-profile names have been forced to compete before the main PPV.

In this article, let’s take a look at seven of the biggest names who essentially performed as a warm-up act for their fellow Superstars.

#7 Braun Strowman competed on WWE kickoff shows

Braun Strowman was destined to be a main-eventer after separating from The Wyatt Family, so it came as a surprise when his monster push as a singles competitor in 2016-17 led to him competing in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the WrestleMania 33 kickoff show.

The Monster Among Men faced WWE’s biggest full-time Superstar at the time, Roman Reigns, in singles matches at the PPVs before and after WrestleMania 33 – WWE Fastlane and WWE Payback – which made it even more bizarre that he was not given a featured spot on the ‘Mania card.

Two years later, Strowman had firmly cemented his status as one of the top Superstars on the WWE roster when WrestleMania 35 came around. However, once again, he was booked as a participant in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the kickoff show.

The former Wyatt Family member won the Battle Royal at WrestleMania 35, but it was still strange to see a proven main-eventer in the kickoff show at WWE’s annual extravaganza.