Braun Strowman and Early Favorites to Win WWE WrestleMania 33 Battle Royal

Don't look now, but the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal is quietly developing into a token of career ascendance in the way King of the Ring did in the past and Money in the Bank does now. With Braun Strowman on a certifiable roll that dates back to the beginning of the brand split, he leads a field of prime choices to dominate this WrestleMania staple on April 2 and continue his hot streak into the summer. 

Let's take a moment to evaluate the prior winners and where they are now. Cesaro won the inaugural event in 2014, and while he initially faltered through an ill-advised pairing with Paul Heyman, he has since found his footing in an entertaining feud-turned-tag team with Sheamus. The two ended The New Day's record tag team reign, but not before competing in a memorable best-of-seven series. 

Big Show is a future Hall of Famer who won the event the following year, followed by Baron Corbin, who is essentially the SmackDown equivalent of Strowman. It was Corbin who eliminated the rising monster in the Royal Rumble match last Sunday. In fact, with no clear path to WrestleMania, Corbin as a two-time winner is an intriguing scenario that could add to his already-surging momentum.

There's no telling how long WWE will book Samoa Joe as Triple H's heavy leading into his program with Seth Rollins, but he could possibly benefit more than anybody from being the last man standing in April. 

The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal is beginning to develop a niche for identifying the next big thing, but right now, that thing is Strowman. With Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Roman Reigns and scores of part-timers in the mix this WrestleMania season, a possible Strowman world title win at WrestleMania could get lost in the shuffle.

To avoid diminishing what seems like an inevitable moment, Strowman can simply stand out among a sea of his peers and establish himself as a top contender for the Universal Championship. 

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc) reported that the rumored Universal Championship match will pit Brock Lesnar against Goldberg. Regardless of the winner, this is sure to be a brief world title reign, as each man's part-time status will prohibit him from appearing at many WWE events.

Coming off a victory in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, Strowman represents the best possible challenger to dethrone one of those living legends and begin the type of run that is reminiscent of the ratings bonanza that was Mark Henry's Hall of Pain. 

Such success would also continue to bolster the value and prestige of WrestleMania's once-mocked Battle Royal. It would not only once again crown an up-and-coming star, but also a potential world champion. 

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.