2026 WWE Andre The Giant Battle Royal Winner

WWE

As is tradition during WrestleMania weekend, the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal will take place on the Friday, April 17 episode of WWE SmackDown.

Whether it be former champions or brand new stars, there are several solid choices to potentially take home the trophy this year.

Here are six potential winners of the 2026 WWE Andre The Giant Battle Royal. 

6. Carmelo Hayes

Potentially going back-to-back, it could be that the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner from 2025 Carmelo Hayes could claim victory again this year.

With Sami Zayn reclaiming the United States Championship and heading into a WrestleMania 42 title defense against Trick Williams, Melo was left out in the cold.

After a remarkable year of in-ring work, Hayes isn’t set to have a bout on the main WrestleMania 42 card across Saturday and Sunday but could still certainly shine on Friday.

Able to create his own WrestleMania weekend moment by becoming the first superstar to win two Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royals, the win could launch Melo into a successful rest of 2026.

5. Aleister Black

A surprising name left out of WWE’s plans for WrestleMania weekend is Aleister Black.

While he’s played a role in several storylines leading into Las Vegas, Black could still end up in the spotlight with a commanding performance in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Able to use Zelina to his advantage, it could end up being Black that secures one of the biggest wins of his second WWE run.

Alternatively, given his many rivals on the SmackDown roster, Black could become one of the primary targets for the babyface stars on the blue brand.

4. Damian Priest

Without a match for WrestleMania 42, it could be that Damian Priest finds himself picking up singles steam with a big performance in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

While he currently holds the WWE Tag Team Championship with R-Truth, that doesn’t stop him from possibly reinvigorating a singles run in the process.

Potentially using his alliance with Truth to his advantage, Priest could find himself back in contention for a singles title in the second half of 2026 after an impressive showing in this year’s battle royal.

Leading the way for a more substantial storyline for Priest beyond his comedic alliance with R-Truth, there could be big things on the way for the former WWE World Champion.

3. Royce Keys

One name that fans have been vocal about wanting to see in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal is Royce Keys.

While the former Powerhouse Hobbs just made his WWE SmackDown debut last week with a winning effort over Berto, he could certainly find himself making big moves soon.

Able to take on any of the competition that SmackDown has to offer, Keys could become a powerful force on the blue brand in the coming months.

With the perfect introduction to a WrestleMania weekend audience being a dominant performance, Keys could make short work of the bout and quickly assert his position in the locker room.

2. Ilja Dragunov

Another surprising WWE name that has been left off the card for Wrestlemania 42 is Ilja Dragunov.

After a lauded performance in the Royal Rumble 2026 match, Dragunov seemed to be primed to re-enter the United States Title picture heading into WrestleMania 42.

However, Dragunov seemed to have his own demons to fight as he struggled to reclaim his footing and lost in his attempt to reclaim the gold from Carmelo Hayes.

Potentially being a landmark moment for the character, a major win in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal could be a perfect redemption story.

1. Joe Hendry

One top star from NXT that fans continue to expect to make the leap to the main roster soon is Joe Hendry.

After being brutally attacked by Keanu Carver, former NXT Champion Joe Hendry could potentially transition to the main roster.

Able to bounce back from the assault on NXT to factor into this weekend’s WrestleMania 42 events, Hendry is notably set to be in Las Vegas for the massive WWE event.

If Hendry were to make his surprise arrival on SmackDown before Wrestlemania 42 and conquer the competition in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, he could certainly be set up for success in the coming year.

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• wwe
• Smackdown
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