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WrestleMania SmackDown will play host to the ninth annual Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. So far, 28 WWE Superstars have been announced to participate in this match. Looking at the line-up, it's clear to some that there are a few glaring omissions from the battle royal set to take place on March 31, 2023, from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
Since 2021, the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal has taken place on the episode of SmackDown before WrestleMania. In the years prior, the match typically took place on the pre-show before The Showcase of the Immortals. The battle royal only appeared on the main card of two WrestleMania events, the inaugural match in 2014 and then in 2016.
If a wrestler doesn't have a match or storyline lined up for WrestleMania, they usually find themselves in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. That's why it's surprising that WWE didn't include these five wrestlers.
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#5 WWE Monday Night RAW's Damian Priest
Damian Priest is the only member of The Judgment Day who isn't scheduled to wrestle at The Show of Shows in 2023. However, he may still make an appearance or two at WrestleMania 39, accompanying one or more of his stablemates at ringside.
But considering The Archer of Infamy isn't booked to compete at 'Mania, it's surprising that WWE didn't announce him as one of the participants for the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
The company might want to save Priest's energy for potential ringside work at The Showcase of The Immortals. Or maybe WWE felt that a loss in the battle royal could hurt Judgment Day's momentum. Nonetheless, Priest would have fit right into the proceedings of the Andre-inspired match, and it might be puzzling to some as to why he would be excluded.
#4 Solo Sikoa of The Bloodline
The Street Champion is the only wrestler in The Bloodline who doesn't have a match scheduled for WrestleMania Hollywood. Considering that the battle royal typically houses wrestlers who aren't on the card for 'Mania, Solo Sikoa would seem like the perfect candidate for SmackDown's 28-man match, yet he isn't scheduled for the bout either.
Booking-wise, WWE is attempting to turn the former NXT North American Champion into a star on the main roster. If the company doesn't want Sikoa to win the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal trophy, they may feel it's best not to include him in this match at all, as a means to protect the aura around him as the dominant enforcer of The Bloodline. Solo has only lost one match on the main roster via pinfall, falling to Cody Rhodes on the most recent episode of Monday Night RAW.
#3 Shanky
The comedic dancing giant known as Shanky hasn't been seen at all on WWE programming in 2023. Shanky's last match on SmackDown was back on July 22nd of last year when he and Jinder Mahal were defeated by Erik and Ivar of The Viking Raiders.
Despite his long absence from the ring, Shanky is still under a WWE contract and would have fit right into the proceedings of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Standing at seven feet tall, Shanky is one of the few wrestlers in the world who could legitimately call himself a giant similar to Andre. If booked for the bout, Shanky would be the tallest participant in this year's Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. However, Shanky was not one of the 28 men announced for the match.
#2 Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal
In recent months, Jinder Mahal has seen himself exclusively wrestling on NXT. However, it's surprising that WWE didn't include Mahal in the battle royal because the company had booked him for the Andre-inspired bout four times in previous years. Mahal is a recognizable lower-card competitor who could have added greater depth to a match that's already stacked with Superstars that aren't scheduled to compete at WrestleMania Hollywood.
Mahal never won the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but he came close to winning in 2017 when he was the runner-up in a match won by Mojo Rawley. In 2023, Jinder could have looked to rectify his losses, yet WWE chose to make him an exclusive member of the white-and-gold brand for the time being, keeping him away from the blue brand's battle royal.
#1 Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Akira Tozawa
Monday Night RAW's Akira Tozawa has competed in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal twice, coming up short both times. Much like the other wrestlers booked for the bout, Tozawa currently hasn't been announced to compete at WrestleMania 39. So it might be surprising to some that WWE didn't announce him as a competitor for SmackDown's battle royal.
In recent months, Akira has become a mainstay of Main Event, a secondary show that's shown on streaming services such as Hulu and Peacock. Akira's most recent match on WWE Main Event was a win over NXT's Trick Williams on March 13, 2023. The last time Tozawa competed on RAW was on January 16th of this year, losing to Bronson Reed.
Last week, Tozawa announced the birth of his baby girl. Considering that Akira is now the father of a newborn baby, it's understandable that the company would give him some time off, and that might be the reason why he's missing this year's Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. But for the fans who didn't receive this news, they may still be surprised that Akira wasn't included in the bout.
