Rey Mysterio's rapid-fire Heavyweight Championship victory was derided in 2006 due to the relatively short 9:19 it was afforded - particularly considering the absurd entrances given to John Cena and Triple H in the real main event.
'The Biggest Little Man' was already hearing boos thanks to the company's overuse of Eddie Guerrero's tragic passing the prior November, and a World Title match going under ten minutes did little to satiate those that hoped the match itself would make good on some of the uncomfortable booking.
Out-of-context though, the contest is a firecracker. With no time to outstay their welcome, the three pile in with every available boy-popper until Rey comes good on the 'Grandest Stage'. The obvious indifference towards the contest foreshadowed the mismanagement of his entire reign, even if his crowning followed an all-too-brief banger.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
