Best Candidates to Win Andre the Giant Battle Royal at WWE WrestleMania 2015

WWE WrestleMania 31 is just weeks away, and that means one thing. Well, it actually means several things, but there is one match that could be a game-changer for the winner.

The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal will return this year. That means a big Royal Rumble-style bout that will see the winner presented with a huge trophy.

Cesaro won last year's match, but he didn't get to capitalize off the win like everyone had hoped. He was pushed for a little while, but he eventually fell to the wayside before finding new life teaming with Tyson Kidd.

This cannot happen again. The winner of this year's match needs to be booked strong following his win, and the right person must be chosen in order to make that happen.

With nearly half the roster being involved in this contest, it makes predicting the winner very hard. Few people expected Cesaro to win last year, and the victor will probably be another person the fans don't expect this time around.

This slideshow will look at several candidates who would be great choices to win this year's Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and why they deserve it.

Damien Mizdow

If there is ever going to be an ideal time for Damien Mizdow to break away from The Miz and go off on his own as a babyface, WrestleMania would be the perfect time to do it.

The story practically writes itself, too. Put The Miz and Mizdow in the Battle Royal, have it come down to the two of them, make Miz try to force him out of the ring and have Mizdow stand his ground and win the match.

Mizdow is already over with the WWE Universe, and when he gets his chance to shine, he will likely have a good, long run as a babyface. The best way to start that run is with a big win.

If Mizdow wins the match, which would set in motion the breakup of Miz and Mizdow, the two could then have a feud that would culminate in a match at Extreme Rules.

As stated earlier, it all writes itself, and with the skill The Miz and Mizdow have between them, they would be able to pull it off beautifully.

Big Show

For the past several years, Big Show has been booked as a typical WWE Superstar. He takes numerous losses, hasn't been a serious contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for a long time and constantly gets put into terrible feuds.

He might not be the draw he once was, but Big Show deserves better than this. He is arguably the most gifted wrestler of his size to ever come along, and he is always adding new moves to his repertoire.

The amount of hard work this guy has put in over the years is more than enough to warrant a win in this kind of match, but there's also the storyline possibilities that could come out of it that makes him a good choice.

If Big Show were to win the Andre the Giant trophy, the obvious angle would be him claiming to be the most dominant giant in the history of the business.

The only way this would make sense is if Big Show was booked as a serious threat to everyone following the event. He could claim the win gave him renewed confidence, and then WWE could actually book him as someone who is nearly impossible to beat.

It would definitely work best if he was a heel, but it's not completely necessary.

Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler is one of the most talented and popular wrestlers on the roster today, but he hasn't had a big WrestleMania moment. In fact, his record at the event is pretty horrible.

Even if WWE doesn't plan on ever having him win the top title in the company ever again, his popularity is still enough to warrant a victory on the grandest stage of them all.

Since his feud with The Authority likely won't lead to any kind of singles bout, the best option for the Show Off would be to have him compete in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Ziggler has been a world, U.S., intercontinental and tag team champion and also has won the Money in the Bank briefcase. He is a legitimate workhorse, and he deserves to be awarded for all the awful storylines and ridiculous losses he has taken in his career.

The fans would go nuts if Ziggler was the last man standing, and it would boost their enthusiasm for the rest of the night. When you look at it from every angle, there is absolutely no downside to Ziggler winning this match.

Luke Harper

Outside of a short run as the intercontinental champion, Luke Harper has been floundering ever since WWE decided to break up The Wyatt Family.

This is truly disappointing, as Harper is an extremely talented wrestler with a lot to offer. His look might be unconventional, but so are Mick Foley's and Daniel Bryan's.

Harper was the one who usually stole the show during The Wyatt Family's matches, especially against The Shield. He was doing things in the ring someone his size usually can't do, let alone have the guts to try.

It's time management took him seriously and gave him a solo victory on a big stage. WrestleMania is the perfect venue, and the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal is the best way to give him the push he needs.

Once he has this victory under his belt, it would be more reasonable to put him in major feuds against guys like Sheamus, Daniel Bryan or John Cena without Bray Wyatt there to hog the spotlight.

Sheamus

WWE has been hyping Sheamus' return through video packages for a couple weeks, but as of now, there appears to be no storyline in place for when he returns.

It's no coincidence that he is being brought back this close to WrestleMania, and unless he enters into a feud within the next few weeks, he will be without a match at the biggest show of the year.

Putting a major WWE Superstar in the Battle Royal will make it seem like a big deal, and having a guy with Sheamus' record win the trophy will only make it seem like a bigger accolade.

There are very few things Sheamus has yet to accomplish in his WWE career. He has already won multiple world titles, been King of the Ring and was the last man standing at a Royal Rumble. Adding one more accomplishment to his resume will definitely keep him looking like a big star until he is able to get back into the main event scene.

Ryback

The Big Guy has been involved in a feud with The Authority for the past several weeks, but he isn't the focal point and has no real one-on-one storyline with anyone.

Leading up to WrestleMania, it seems very likely that Seth Rollins and Randy Orton will reignite their feud from last year, and if that happens, it's going to leave Ryback without anything to do on March 29.

Despite not having his own push, it's clear WWE still values Ryback as a mid- to top-tier powerhouse. Unless he is going to sit on the sidelines, it seems inevitable that he will end up being one of the WWE Superstars in the Battle Royal.

It's been a pretty long time since he won an important match. Ryback has never held a title in WWE, and he hasn't been taken seriously as a top contender for any of them in quite some time.

Winning this bout at WrestleMania will certainly give him a boost for the months following the event, and it might even legitimize him in the eyes of some of his critics.

Adrian Neville

When it comes to Adrian Neville, it's more a matter of when than if he will be called up to the main roster. A few of the more recent NXT Superstars to be promoted to the main roster have flopped, and that simply can't happen again.

Bo Dallas was a wash, The Ascension have all but flopped and Emma has become a glorified jobber for the Divas division. Neville is too talented for WWE not to use him appropriately, and because of that, he needs a big introduction to the WWE Universe.

What better way to have him make a huge impact than by having him win a big match at WrestleMania? The only thing that would make his victory in the Battle Royal better would be to have him be a surprise entrant.

WWE needs to forget the stupid videos that hype a newcomer and the traditional route of squashing jobbers. These methods haven't worked effectively introduce a new talent in years.

Having Neville be a surprise entrant who wins his first big match on the main roster at WrestleMania would instantly give him credibility and more exposure than anything else they have done with a developmental talent.

These seven Superstars all deserve a big moment, but as with anything WWE-related, everyone has their own opinion. Who do you think should win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal?

Thanks for reading, and follow me on Twitter @BR_Doctor.