A WrestleMania tradition returns next week on WWE Friday Night SmackDown, taking place April 17, 2026 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
As the go-home show leading into WWE WrestleMania 42 weekend, the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal is set to go down once again. While originally part of the WrestleMania card itself in its debut at WrestleMania 30, it has actually only ever been on that main card twice, with WrestleMania 32 being the other year. Other than that, it spent several years as part of the kickoff pre-show before being moved to the SmackDown prior to Mania in 2021, where it has stayed ever since.
No one has been announced as far as being participants in this match in any official capacity. Over the previous 11 years, though, the match has typically included virtually everybody on the main roster who was not scheduled to do something else at WrestleMania and was not currently injured. There are around 30 Superstars who are in that range such as the WWE Tag Team Champions (Damian Priest and R-Truth), El Grande Americano, Ilja Dragunov, Carmelo Hayes, Aleister Black, and more.
Along with the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, the feud between The Wyatt Sicks and the MFTs apparently isn't over yet, as they will face off in an eight-man tag team match. Last week on SmackDown, Bo Dallas was able to retrieve Bray Wyatt's lantern, which had been stolen by the MFTs and held captive for months when Tama Tonga decided to give it back. It hasn't been stated which four of MFT will be in the match, but if the graphic is any indication, along with the Street Fight gimmick being no disqualification, expect to see Nikki Cross and all five MFTs get involved in the match regardless.
Naturally, more will happen than just these matches, but at least as far as what is currently advertised, this is what we know is scheduled for next week's edition of WWE SmackDown:
- Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
- Eight-Man Street Fight Tag Team Match: MFTs (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, JC Mateo, Talla Tonga, Tonga Loa) vs. The Wyatt Sicks (Bo Dallas, Joe Gacy, Erick Rowan and Dexter Lumis)
What do you think about the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal once again taking place on SmackDown instead of WrestleMania? Who do you think will win next week? Drop a comment below and spark a discussion with your predictions and thoughts!