Why Winning WWE WrestleMania Battle Royal Has Been a Curse, Not a Gift

When Hulk Hogan stood inside a WWE ring in March 2014 and announced the inaugural Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, fans were ablaze with excitement and anticipation.

It opened the door for a clutch of midcard stars to carve out their own WrestleMania moments, giving hope and a platform for those without concrete plans for the show to earn a slice of the spotlight.

That hype only increased further when Cesaro—arguably the most popular prospect in the company at the time—dumped Big Show out last to stand tall next to the iconic trophy, hinting at a bright future for the Swiss Superman.

But fast-forward four years, and it's easy to argue one of WrestleMania's most exciting matches has become an afterthought for fans. Even worse, for the wrestlers who win the bout, it's proved to be a curse.

That must change at WrestleMania 34 on April 8. The bout's credibility is in the gutter, not necessarily because of who the four previous winners are but because of how the match has done little to further the careers of anyone involved.

The anomaly in the quartet of winners is the Big Show, who won in 2015 but didn't need a push of any kind given how he sits in the latter stages of his career.

But for Mojo Rawley, Baron Corbin and Cesaro, the bout has done nothing for them. In Corbin and Cesaro's cases, it's a safe argument none of their subsequent successes have come via winning the Battle Royal.

Cesaro's link-up with Paul Heyman 24 hours after winning the match led to nothing. It should have been the start of something huge that, by now, would have seen Cesaro win multiple major titles and establish himself as one of the standout stars in the company.

But the relationship fizzled out in a matter of months, and by the end of 2014, Cesaro was largely confined to the pre-show and meaningless contests.

Thankfully, a relationship with Sheamus has salvaged his career somewhat, and The Bar has added much-needed impetus and spice to Raw's tag division.

But what about the rest?

Baron Corbin's victory in the bout's third edition was perhaps the most exciting of all given how Corbin won it on his first night on the main roster. That the company was willing to give an NXT call-up such an important victory immediately after stepping up was a promising sign for not only Corbin but for the match's integrity.

But The Lone Wolf had to take a significant step back from that initial success before finding any more positive progression in WWE, spending a large part of 2016 feuding with the likes of Kalisto. It quickly saw any momentum from his WrestleMania victory fizzle.

Sure, Corbin won the Money in the Bank briefcase last summer, but like with Cesaro's success, it's hard to argue that came off the back of his initial push in the Battle Royal.

Then there's the most damning indictment of the match's credibility: Last year's winner, Mojo Rawley. With WWE intent on squeezing a segment with NFL star Rob Gronkowski on to the show (which, a year on, still doesn't make any sense to a Brit watching across the Atlantic), Rawley's success was an afterthought.

Zack Ryder returned from injury, Rawley turned heel and then nothing happened. For the third time in four years, WWE handed a WrestleMania moment to an up-and-coming star and didn't deliver thereafter. 

So what of this year? Again, a clutch of talented names have entered, such as Dash Wilder, Scott Dawson, Corbin, Rawley and Tye Dillinger.

But if WWE is serious about making the Battle Royal a permanent fixture on the calendar, it's high time they trusted a star with not only a victory in the match but a persistent push in the months after the bout.

This match looks like a curse for the victors, not a gift. That has to change in New Orleans.