10 WWE Royal Rumble Wins That Became Huge Disappointments

Everything seemed set for Rey Mysterio going into the 2006 Royal Rumble.

Easily one of the most popular stars in WWE, Mysterio went into the match on the back of a true and highly emotional storyline concerning the recent and tragic death of his close friend Eddie Guerrero. Having been portrayed as the perennial underdog, fans had even more to buy into when Mysterio entered at number two.

Over an hour later and Mysterio had overcome all the odds and won the Rumble for his friend. But 29 January 2006 would be the high point for Rey Mysterio that year.

Rey quickly moved into a feud with Randy Orton, who cut an infamous promo about Eddie being in hell and then took Mysterio's title shot by defeating him at No Way Out. Instead of valiantly battling his way back into the match, SmackDown General Manager Teddy Long simply inserted Mysterio into the Kurt Angle/Randy Orton title match, further diluting Mysterio's status as a legitimate main event star.

Although Mysterio would win the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22, it was in a ten-minute match cut for time. What followed was a title reign in which Mysterio would spend most weeks being beaten to a pulp by everyone on SmackDown, making his Rumble win seem pointless. It was a relief when King Booker dethroned him in July and it would be another three years before Mysterio featured prominently in the world title picture again.