4. Rey Mysterio - 2006
In the aftermath of Eddie Guerrero's tragic and untimely death, Rey Mysterio was pushed to the moon on the Smackdown brand and dedicated the Royal Rumble to his late friend. Proving that Guerrero still had a sense of humor, Mysterio drew #1 in the Royal Rumble which, in this rare instance, did not serve as the main event of the pay-per-view (which was Kurt Angle vs. Mark Henry), showing the lack of faith that Vince had in Mysterio as a Rumble winner. The Rumble itself featured a weak lineup showcasing such superstars as Sylvan Grenier, Eugene, Jonathan Coachman, Tatanka, Orlando Jordan, and Trevor Murdoch. Mysterio set a new Rumble record for longevity and actually the #2 participant, Triple H, lasted until the final four as well in a neat booking bit. Mysterio managed to toss out Orton to win the Rumble, lasting over an hour in the ring and booking himself a trip to Wrestlemania. Mysterio would go on to defeat Randy Orton and Kurt Angle in a triple threat match at Wrestlemania 22 to win the Smackdown world title and became one of the smallest champions in WWE history. Unfortunately for Rey, Vince McMahon had absolutely zero confidence in him as a champion. We all know that Vince is infatuated with big wrestlers and Mysterio was the exact opposite of that. Interviews with former Smackdown writers Court Bauer and Alex Greenfield revealed that they wanted Rey booked as a world-beater, someone who overcomes the odds thanks to athleticism and speed. Vince McMahon disagreed. What resulted was a very lackluster title run that really went nowhere and Rey was shuffled back down to the midcard shortly thereafter.