WrestleMania 34 Preview – One Giant ARMBAR

Published: Apr 7, 2018 by Wrestle Talk | Last Updated: Apr 7, 2018 by Wrestle Talk

WrestleMania 34 Preview – One Giant ARMBAR

When it comes to the André The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, it’s almost impossible to spotlight a sure-fire favorite amongst the participant pool – mainly because right now, we don’t have the complete rundown regarding those wrestling in the match.

So far, the only wrestlers scheduled to compete are Raw‘s ‘Woken’ Matt Hardy, Heath Slater, Rhyno, Goldust and The Revival, as well as SmackDown Live stars Baron Corbin, Tye Dillinger, Mojo Rawley, Dolph Ziggler, Zack Ryder, Breezango and the clear choice, Primo Colón. This means, most likely, fans won’t learn the final list of entrants until WrestleMania Sunday (barring it being announced on social media beforehand).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-_Z3eKV5P0

While this match usually takes place on the pre-show, it’s purpose retains weight, as WWE has used it in the past to honor a roster veteran (The Big Show), revitalize a superstar’s career (Cesaro) and create buzz around recent NXT call-ups (see Baron Corbin and Mojo Rawley).

The WWE should continue in the tradition of using the battle royal to get the WWE Universe invested in a new or current superstar’s main roster run, especially considering all the potentially successful options available to them. This is a delightful place (pun intended) to give Matt Hardy another boost to his newly formed Woken Universe; this is also a great spot to introduce a pairing like Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas and Zelina Vega to a larger audience (he had a great showing in this year’s Royal Rumble after all), especially if the former loses his NXT Championship to Aleister Black at NXT Takeover: New Orleans the night before. Maybe go outside of the box and give The Revival a shot in the arm, making them the first tag team ever to win a battle royal?

WWE‘s creative team can go anywhere with this match considering its position on the card, so why not give it some heft and gravitas down the road by using it now as a foundation for launching the career of the next WWE Intercontinental, WWE Universal or WWE World Champion?

Prediction: Woken Matt Hardy

What do you think of this match? Will WWE actually use it as a career-maker for once? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter here.