WWE: 7 Greatest Royal Rumble Matches of All-Time

3. 2006 - Rey Mysterio Stands Tall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceFQkCkp2-g Even with his diminutive stature, it's very difficult to overlook Rey Mysterio, as his penchant for the flashiest moves in wrestling history often puts a bulls-eye on his back. However, in 2006, no one really took him seriously as a guy who could win the big one. Mysterio began to prove all of his detractors wrong when, during the Royal Rumble match, he not only outlasted all of his competition, but set the Rumble record for most time spent in the ring, all in commemoration of his friend Eddie Guerrero. It was not an easy path to victory for the world's biggest underdog. drawing number 2 before the match, he thought that Latino Heat had played one last trick on him from beyond the grave. Even worse, his opponent to start the match was none other than Triple H, himself embroiled in a bitter feud with Randy Orton. The two began to take their frustrations on each other from the opening bell, quickly dispatching of Simon Dean, Psicosis, and Ric Flair so the two could focus in on each other. Triple H had the worst of the opposition early, as, upon eliminating Flair, The Big Show made his way to ring, a smirk wide across his face. Triple H had also been feuding with Show at the time, and the battle between the two allowed Mysterio to lay low for a few minutes. While Mysterio and Triple H dominated the early going, the ring began to swell with competitors, with Chris Benoit, Carlito, Rob Van Dam, Shawn Michaels, and even Eugene all struggling for supremacy. Aside from Benoit ruining Booker T's brief appearance however, there was a noticeable dearth of eliminations until Randy Orton entered as the match's last entrant. The numbers continued to wittle down thanks to HBK, Carlito, Triple H, RVD, Orton, and Mysterio dominating the end of the match until the McMahons, feuding with the Heartbreak Kid, took it upon themselves to eliminate Michaels to take away his guaranteed title shot. After Rob Van Dam tossed Carlito over the top, it looked as though RVD and Mysterio would turn the match into a tag team affair against Orton and The Game, with the high flyers coming out on top early. The tables would turn however when Mysterio mistimed a manuever that sent Rob Van Dam plummeting from the top rope to the floor below. Orton and Triple H, pressed their advantage, and would dissect Mysterio over the next few minutes with a series of brutal maneuvers. Finally, Triple H saw an opportunity to dispose of the little man, hoisting him over his shoulders. It would be The Game who found himself out of the match though, as Rey turned a death grip on the top rope into a hurricanrana that rocketed Triple H to the outside. The Game responded by angrily assaulting Mysterio, throwing him into the steel steps and leaving him prone for The Viper to dispatch as he pleased. Orton picked up the limp Mysterio, but made the mistake of taking the smallest man in the match for granted. Rey used the same technique that had ended Triple H's night on Orton, tossing him from the ring by using his own weight against him. In the end, Mysterio stood taller than all twenty-nice of the other participants, pointing to the sky, finally able to dedicate his victory to Eddie.