Decade Old WrestleMania Tradition Returns on WWE SmackDown 04/05; Major Name Announced

The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal will be held next week in the special edition of SmackDown called ‘WrestleMania SmackDown’. Earlier, this match was a part of the WrestleMania kickoff. But recently it has been moved to the pre-event episode of SmackDown.

The traditional battle royale will return for the pre-WrestleMania XL episode of Friday Night SmackDown. The official announcement of this matchup revealed twenty superstars who will be looking for the Andre the Giant trophy. Names such as Ricochet, Andrade, Chad Gable, Omos, and JD McDonagh stand out. And even teams such as Pretty Deadly, The Creed Brothers, and Indus Sher. Which of them will leave Philadelphia with the gold in their hands? And who are the other participants? Let’s find out!

Who are the warriors of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal?

The special competition will celebrate its tenth edition on Friday Night SmackDown. The winner of the battle royale will get the trophy previously earned by names like Cesaro, Baron Corbin, Matt Hardy, Jey Uso, and Braun Strowman. And now the names of this year’s contenders have been revealed. Here’s the list:

• Cedric Alexander
• Ashante “Thee” Adonis
• Kit Wilson
• Elton Prince
• Cameron Grimes
• Veer
• Sangha
• Julius Creed
• Brutus Creed
• Ivar
• Akira Tozawa
• Otis
• J.D. McDonagh
• Apollo Crews
• Andrade
• Ricochet
• Chad Gable
• Bronson Reed
• Shinsuke Nakamura
• Omos

Last year it was Bobby Lashley who took the win at the battle royale. Displaying his trophy the next day at WrestleMania. Some prior winners were Madcap Moss (2022), Jey Uso (2021), and Braun Strowman (2020). The next episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown will take place on Friday, April 5 from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

However, this wasn’t the only matchup that the WWE recently announced. We will finally get to see two stables feuding at Mania after months of buildup.

The battle of the Latinos at WrestleMania 40

With WrestleMania 40 just a week away, the show’s undercard is getting the finishing touches with matches announced. This Friday, on SmackDown, Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee challenged Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio to a tag team match in the most important show of the year. But the match did not become official.

Read More: “Not Gonna Work”: Hulk Hogan’s Rumored WrestleMania XL Return Trashed Online Amid Controversial History – EssentiallySports

Less than 24 hours after the blue brand’s show, WWE has confirmed that Dragon Lee and Rey Mysterio will face Santos Escobar and Dominik at the Showcase of the Immortals. At the moment, the match is a normal tag team match and without a special stipulation.

This confirms that the rest of the members of Legado del Fantasma and LWO are left out of this WrestleMania 40 match, despite the fact that they have been an active part of the rivalry for the last few months. But with the Legado being an out-and-out heel faction, and with the support of the Judgement Day, it is hard to imagine that there will be no interference by the other members of the heel stables. What do you think? Are you excited for these matches? Let us know in the comments.

Read More: Brock Lesnar Rumors: 3 Major Hints That the Beast Will Return at WrestleMania XL – EssentiallySports