All week, we here at Sports Al Dente will be previewing all 14 matches on the WrestleMania 34 super card. This is shaping up to be one of the biggest WrestleMania’s in recent history, as excitement levels for the show are at an all-time high.
For the first time in nearly a decade, a women’s battle royal will take place on the grandest stage. The match was initially met with much controversy, as it was originally named the Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal. This created a stir amongst fans, as there have been multiple accusations of financial exploitation and drugging by former Moolah trainees. It led to fans emailing Mars, Incorporated (who’s product, Snickers, is the main sponsor of WrestleMania), urging them to force WWE to change the name of the battle royal. WWE caved into the pressure, officially changing the name to the “WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal” on March 15.
Despite the name controversy, this is still a historic match for WWE as the women’s revolution continues. Here’s a quick preview of the match.
Photo credit Sean Kimmel – Under Creative Commons Licence
The Match
The inaugural WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.
How We Got Here
The battle royal was announced on the March 12th edition of Raw.
The History
This is the first ever WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal. The last women’s battle royal at WrestleMania happened at WrestleMania 25. On that night, Santina Marella, the “twin sister” of Santino Marella, won the match, earning the title of “Miss WrestleMania.” A lot has changed for women’s wrestling since then, and the chances of a man dressing in drag and winning the battle royal seem slim.
The Feud
There’s no feud centered around the battle royal. Announced participants for the match (as of April 1st) are Sasha Banks, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Liv Morgan, Naomi, Natayla, Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, and Lana. 30 women are expected to compete in the battle royal, featuring talent from NXT as well.
Expectations
After all the name controversy, expectations are low for the battle royal. Since it’s the inaugural one of its kind, I expect it to be on the main card to preserve the “history” of it.