How WWE can improve the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Ever since the Money in the Bank match became its own pay-per-view event in July 2010, WrestleMania events have lacked the presence of a traditional, ‘WrestleMania-exclusive match. One could say that The Undertaker’s match took on this role, but since the streak has been broken, this void is ever much deeper. WWE’s answer to this issue was the implementation of a multi-man battle royal, named in memory of Andre the Giant.
The winner of the first even, Cesaro, was awarded a giant trophy, reminiscent of Andre himself. Fans around the world were excited for Cesaro, thinking that he finally has gotten his big break.
Cesaro ended up having the most frustrating year that a WWE superstar of his talent has had in the past decade. The primary reason for this, I believe, is because there is no true incentive of winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
The match succeeds in featuring mid and lower-card talent on the show so that they can receive the notorious pay bonus that one receives after appearing on a WrestleMania. And, yes, it does seem to have become somewhat of a “thank you” or “good job” acknowledgement from WWE management to talent to feature them here. But in the end, in kayfabe, all the winner gets is one oversized trophy. By the way, how is the talent expected to carry this trophy from city to city every night?
WWE could feature this match in a much larger light, especially if they intend on continuing this as an annual attraction of WrestleMania.
The easiest way that this can be done? Simply give the talent a reason to compete. The idea that all of these men would risk their careers for a battle royal match in which they receive virtually nothing for winning is ludicrous. This can be fixed by awarding the winner of the match with a championship match.
Since this is seen as a lower-card match, the winner should ideally be guaranteed a match at the next month’s pay-per-view event, for the Intercontinental Championship. The Intercontinental Championship is currently, and unfortunately, WWE’s lower card championship.
One of the most memorable moments of Andre the Giant’s WWF career was an instance where he defeated Big John Studd in a bodyslam challenge at WrestleMania I. The winner of this match would receive a $15,000 reward.
After Andre won the match, he proceeded to throw the prize money out to the audience before being stopped by Bobby Heenan. So, why not allow the winner of this match to receive, in addition to the championship match and trophy, a check for the amount of $15,000?
The concept of money is virtually nonexistent in WWE. What WWE hasn’t caught on to, at least on the main shows, is that whenever money is even mentioned as a factor in a given situation, it boosts the importance of that situation because it makes said situation look more real.
The New Japan Cup is particularly prestigious because (along with a championship match of their choosing) the winners are rewarded with a check for a large sum of money. As a result, fans and wrestlers treat this as a prestigious and important tournament. The same could be applied to WWE’s Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Subconsciously, fans could take this battle royal seriously once they see that the wrestlers are handsomely rewarded for winning this match.
Adding a championship and monetary reward for this match could also open up some storyline possibilities. For example, matches can be had that determine entrants into this match, and one can even do a program involving two wrestlers competing for the final spot in the battle royal.
To preserve the quality of the Royal Rumble match, the one or two nostalgia entries could instead be added to this battle royal, since it is more believable that an old wrestler would return for a chance at the money and a lower-card title match. The match could even lead to a “comeback” story for a wrestler.
There are many ways to spin this, should they increase the importance of this match for the fans. This match can become, like the Money in the Bank match, one of the most anticipated matches of the year. However, as long as superstars are competing for a large, nuisance of a trophy that ultimately means nothing, the fans will continue to treat this match like another throw-away match and opportunity for a bathroom break.
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