10 Most Exciting WWE Royal Rumble Finishes

6. Timing Isn't Everything - 2006

Shawn Michaels Royal Rumble
WWE.com

The 2006 Royal Rumble was all about longevity. Rey Mysterio entered the match at #2, and while that spot doesn't get all the glory of #1, it's really the exact same thing. To win the bout, Mysterio would have be out there for the whole thing.

At the time, Mysterio was being given a very controversial sympathy push in the wake of Eddie Guerrero's shocking death. Many fans saw the storyline as a way for WWE to make money off the passing of a beloved employee, while others truly got behind Rey Mysterio's quest for greatness. In any event, most didn't blame Mysterio, who was simply a super-talented star following the company's orders.

Mysterio ultimately ended up making it to the end, but that left him in the ring with Randy Orton, who had entered at #30. Needless to say, "The Viper" enjoyed a huge advantage over the spent Mysterio, easily beating the star down. When he hoisted Mysterio up on his shoulder and tried to toss him over the ropes, though, Mysterio mustered up one last burst of energy, grabbing Orton in a headscissors and pulling him over the ropes for the win.

Contributor
Contributor

Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried. *Best Crowd of the Year, 2013