10 Greatest Performances In WWE Royal Rumble History
1. Rey Mysterio (2006)
Rey Mysterio might be regarded as one of the most lacklustre World Heavyweight Champions of all-time, but his path to glory was almost perfect. A perfect underdog, Rey was by far the smallest man in the 2006 Royal Rumble, but also one of the most popular wrestlers in the company. Few gave him a shot of winning in the first place, and when Rey drew number two, it looked like he was doomed.
It didn’t help that Triple H had drawn number one, either. Regardless, Rey’s performance was nothing short of epic, and a real Cinderella story. The Game was with him for almost the entirety of the match, and put forth an incredible performance himself, but nothing was going to stop Mysterio that night.
Simon Dean and Psicosis were the first to fall by Rey’s hand, but he soon slowed down. The match’s duration took a toll, and the larger wrestlers took control. Mysterio spent much of this match on the backfoot, but that’s what makes his performance so special. Here was this tiny little guy stuck in there with the likes of Kane and the Big Show, taking the beating of a lifetime, but still coming through strong.
Rey set a new Iron Man record with 1 hour and 2 minutes in the ring, and eliminated six wrestlers on the road to victory. The final three were him, Triple H, and Randy Orton, both of whom looked nigh-on unstoppable at the time, but Rey eliminated them both, and was on his way to WrestleMania. Having dedicated his performance to the late Eddie Guerrero, Rey’s victory celebration was nothing short of euphoric, and his performance deserves to be remember as the greatest in Rumble history.