Every WWE Wrestler Of The Year For The 2000s

Key matches: Elimination Chamber match (No Way Out), Chris Jericho (Judgement Day, Extreme Rules & The Bash), Dolph Ziggler (Night of Champions & SummerSlam), John Morrison (Smackdown, Sept 4th)

How does a man with as many knee and other injuries as Rey Mysterio manage to be the best wrestler in WWE, almost a decade after what many considered to be his 'prime'? In 2008, Rey Rey spent time on the sidelines recovering from a bicep injury and when he returned he hardly caused massive waves in feuds with Kane.

2009 was a much different story, however, as Rey managed to not only stay healthy, but produce some of his best work in years. Early indications of what was to come could be glimpsed at the Royal Rumble, in which Rey put in a very good performance in the eponymous match and in the Elimination Chamber at No Way Out a month later, where he only just fell to Edge in the dramatic closing stages.

Winning the Intercontinental Title from JBL at WrestleMania (in 21 seconds), Mysterio then engaged in a personal rivalry with Chris Jericho. The months-long feud resulted in some of the best matches of the year, with their showing at The Bash coming in for special praise. Watching the two veterans exchange counters with such fluidity while digging deep into their bag of tricks was a joy.

He followed that up with a great series of matches against Dolph Ziggler - during their initial meeting at Night of Champions, Mysterio refused to drop the belt, since he'd been promised a lengthy run with it. Even though he wouldn't lose to the Show-Off, he still gave him two cracking matches, matches which helped Dolph immensely at the time.

Rey did drop the belt in September, mind: faced with a 30-day suspension for violating WWE's Wellness Policy, the masked man stared at the ceiling for real-life buddy John Morrison. The match was one of the best TV matches of the year, if not the best.

When Rey returned from his WWE-enforced suspension, he was right back in the title mix and began a programme with former friend and World Tag Team partner Batista. His momentum continued into 2010 as he put off much-needed knee surgery and continued to produce thrilling contests with a wide range of opponents.