10 Biggest Missed Opportunities In WWE Royal Rumble History
6. Mark Henry Wins The Gold (2006)
This one does not concern the Royal Rumble match itself, but the main event of the 2006 edition (no, Mysterio's win did not go last), and its aftermath. Kurt Angle retained the World Heavyweight Championship against Mark Henry in a short bout, and wasteful storylines ensued. Kurt's reign was probably his most forgettable as world champion, and he was a mere afterthought to the Orton-Mysterio rivalry in his own 'Mania title defence. Elsewhere on the card, 'Taker fought his least impressive WrestleMania showing of the second Deadman Era against Mark Henry.
With a few tweaks, a much better card was at hand. As a transitional champion, Mark Henry made more sense. He was the one that injured Batista, he had momentum after his return, and most of all, he would've been a better adversary for Rey Mysterio. What Rey needed for his great moment was to be the underdog against a seemingly undefeatable foe, a David vs. Goliath trope (like Eddie Guerrero had against Brock Lesnar at NWO 2004), not a thrown-together Triple Threat.
As for Angle and 'Taker, the two had one of the matches of the year at No Way Out 2006. Had it been saved for WrestleMania, The Undertaker would've wrestled an untarnished series of streak classics from 2005 to 2013.