12. 2006
The 2006 Royal Rumble was all about Rey Mysterio, but by proxy it was all about Eddie Guerrero. Eddie had passed away just two months earlier, and as such the match became one big (deserved) tribute to the man. Rey lasted over an hour to pull off the victory, setting a record time for lasting in the Rumble in the process. In truth, this Rumble and Rey's performance is better in memory than in truth. Rey actually did a heck of a lot of lying around, which is understandable considering the length of performanc, but it wasn't exactly inspiring. There were a couple of moments where the ring was way too full as well, more so than in most Rumbles. Despite these gripes, it was a fine match from start to finish. A number of fascinating interactions added extra spark to it, and Triple H put in what should be considered one of the best Rumble performances of all time, adding weight to his interactions and livening up the quieter moments. The finish was undeniably emotional as well, as Mysterio pulls off the victory by eliminating Randy Orton at the last.
John Bills
Contributor
Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.
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