The Winner of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal Is...

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

On the soon-to-be-released Episode 17 of the My 1-2-3 Cents Podcast, Chad and I speculate who will win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.  My first instinct was Sheamus, even though he hasn't been announced yet, I could see him being a "surprise" return for Mania and fitting nicely into the battle royal.  But then thinking about the NXT tournament and how one star from that brand will get a shot at the event, I changed my mind.  

While there are plenty of talented men (and women) on the NXT roster, my favorite remains Adrian Neville.  Right now he's the most logical choice to move up to the main roster and winning the tournament and battle royal would certainly give him some momentum moving forward.  I do caution against this move though if the WWE doesn't have a solid (long term) plan for the artist formerly known as PAC.  I think some of the recent moves to the main roster have fallen flat, and I think too highly of Neville for that to happen.

Just hangin' out with some friends.

Warning, name dropping alert to follow...  Regular readers of this blog know that I met Neville in 2012 when he wrestled El Generico at an AAPW show in southern Illinois.  I was doing commentary and had a match that night.  You can watch both those matches if you're interested.

Anyway, I've been a big fan of Neville's since then.  He's not only an excellent performer in the ring, but he's a good human being.  We've talked a few times since then and I have no idea if he remembers me, but he's always made me feel like he does.  Generico was great that night too, as were Matt Cross and Colt Cabana.  I wish nothing but success for all of them, but Neville is my guy and I hope he's finally on course to make it to the main stage and show the world his talents.  

I think by him (or whichever NXT star makes it into the battle royal) winning the match and being called up to the main roster, it gives some value to the battle royal.  This match is gaining a reputation of being the event for anyone who doesn't have something better to do on the card.  I want the legacy of Andre the Giant to mean more than that.