8 WWE Royal Rumble Winners Who Put Their Title Shot On The Line

3. Rey Mysterio (2006)

Plans for the World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania 22 were changed on several occasions (Batista vs. Randy Orton was penciled in before The Animal got injured), but once it was decided Angle would be keeping the belt going into the event, he was in need of a challenger. After Eddie Guerrero abruptly passed away in late 2005, his close friend Rey Mysterio was primed for the push of a lifetime as a tribute to the soon-to-be WWE Hall of Famer. In the 2006 Royal Rumble, Mysterio outlasted every other competitor from the No. 2 spot, breaking the record for most time spent in any one Rumble and winning it all. But then Randy Orton took issue with him regarding his elimination in the match, goading him into putting his title shot on the line in a match at No Way Out. Similar to some of the other Stars here, The Master of the 619 lost the bout yet still found himself contending for the gold at WrestleMania 22 in a Triple Threat also involving Angle and Orton. Surely, there must have been an easier, more logical way of inserting Orton into the 'Mania match without making Mysterio look incompetent.