WWE SmackDown: Battle Royal winner crowned; WrestleMania 40 match changed

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The go-home edition of WWE SmackDown for WrestleMania 40 went down last night with one of the main events presenting an open field for multiple WWE superstars to make a huge statement via the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

The WrestleMania tradition returned on SmackDown offering a lifetime opportunity for both red and blue brand superstars of the WWE and it was Big Bronson Reed who seized the opportunity ahead of the biggest WWE premium live event of all time.

The last six in the battle royal were Reed, Ivar, Akira Tozawa, and Otis. JD McDonagh, and Ricochet. The final moments of the match saw Ivar going for a moonsault, but Reed moved out of the way, hit a rolling senton, and threw Ivar out of the ring.

With that Reed won the 10th edition of the memorial battle royal, joining Cesaro, Big Show, Baron Corbin, Mojo Rawley, Matt Hardy, Braun Strowman, Jey Uso, Riddick Moss, and Bobby Lashley on the list of wrestlers who previously won the melee.

Apart from 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal has annually been held since 2014. It originally was a WrestleMania tradition, but since 2021, it's been held on the pre-WrestleMania edition of SmackDown.

In another big announcement from SmackDown, the previously affirmed WrestleMania match featuring Rey Mysterio has slightly been changed. Dragon Lee was supposed to be his tag team match partner at the Show of Shows.

But on SmackDown, Dragon Lee got taken out via a backstage attack. Andrade initially aligned with Dominik and Santos but then he turned on the heels to join the babyfaces. This moment also put Zelina Vega and Andrade on the same side after a long time.

Shortly after, it was revealed that Dragon Lee would not be able to compete at WrestleMania 40 as he wasn't medically cleared. Andrade agreed to take his place. Carlito advised Andrade to take out Santos Escobar at WrestleMania 40.

It was further confirmed that Andrade and Rey Mysterio will now take on Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania XL Night One taking place at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, tomorrow night.