Quote:
Originally Posted by Noid
I do think/hope this might be the last year they bother.
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I'm not so sure.
2003: Fairly normal Mania in terms of roster usage.
2004: The main card included two Fatal Four way tag matches and a 10-man Cruiserweight Open, so probably 95% of the roster got onto the show.
2005: Pre-show battle royal.
2006: Pre-show battle royal.
2007: Pre-show lumberjack tag match.
2008: Pre-show battle royal.
2009: Pre-show lumberjack tag match.
2010: Pre-show battle royal.
2011: Pre-show lumberjack match that got converted into a battle royal.
2012: No battle royal but there was a Triple Threat tag match on the pre-show and a 12-man tag on the main show. So again, very few people got totally left off.
2013: Nothing, strangely. A battle royal was rumored but never happened, and they even had a cut a match off of the main show during the event because they didn't budget their time properly.
2014-18: Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
So yeah, that's only two Manias in the brand split era where they didn't seem to go out of their way to book everyone. I think the battle royal is here to stay whether it stays branded or not.