10 Best Endings In WWE Royal Rumble History

3. Rey Mysterio And Randy Orton (2006)

Rey Mysterio dedicating his performance in the 2006 Royal Rumble match to the late, great Eddie Guerrero wasn't a telltale sign he was winning it. Randy Orton had been rumored to be the victor in the months leading up to the event and Triple H was considered a lock to contend for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 22, so when it came down to those two and Mysterio, anything could have happened.

One after another, each competitor was eliminated, with Mysterio outlasting them all. Entering at No. 2, he didn't have as strong of a showing as Ric Flair did in 1992, as he spent most of the hour near the turnbuckle, but fans were behind him every step of the way. On the opposite end of the spectrum was Orton, who came in as the final entrant and immediately capitalized on the drained Master of the 619. At that point, the chances of Mysterio realizing a dream by winning the Rumble appeared to be slim, but fans rallied behind him.

After his elimination of Triple H, the impossible seemingly started to become possible, and the Miami crowd came to life when Mysterio reversed Orton's attempt to throw him over the top rope. It was a fun finishing sequence, but what made it so special was the emotion Mysterio showed afterward, shedding tears of happiness and paying the perfect tribute to his fallen friend. Too bad WWE instead closed the show with an awful World Heavyweight Championship match between Kurt Angle and Mark Henry...