One big thing: Bronson Reed feels his Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal victory was underutilized
Bronson Reed, winner of the 2023 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, expressed disappointment in the lack of follow-up to his victory in a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet.
• Reed won the battle royal on the SmackDown before WrestleMania 39
• The trophy disappeared from TV shortly after his win
• Reed hoped to carry the trophy for months to elevate its significance
Why it matters
The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, introduced in 2014, has struggled to maintain relevance in recent years. Reed’s comments highlight a missed opportunity to reinvigorate interest in the annual event and honor Andre the Giant’s legacy.
Reed’s perspective
• “I feel like people sort of… not disrespected the trophy, but like, it’s sort of like a throwaway match, and I wanted to win it and make sure that it wasn’t that.”
• “I was hoping that I could do more with the trophy, but I’d won it and then I didn’t see it the next week.”
• “I said I wanted to carry it around for a couple of months and make it like a thing, but that didn’t happen.”
The bigger picture
Reed emphasized Andre the Giant’s global impact: “Andre the Giant is such a pivotal figure in wrestling, he became bigger than wrestling. You could go to Australia, where I’m from, and mention Andre the Giant in the 80s and people would know who he was, he was a worldwide name.”
The bottom line
Reed’s comments reflect a desire to elevate the prestige of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and create more meaningful storylines around the victory.
What do you think WWE could do to make the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal more significant? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
