A Look Back: Rey Mysterio's Road to WrestleMania 22

Without question, the Royal Rumble is my all-time favorite event. You would think I'd say WrestleMania, but the Rumble is where it's at. The Royal Rumble Match has all of the chaos of the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs, and it's all rolled up into an hour-long match. Since 2018, we now have two Royal Rumble Matches: a Men's match and a Women's match. Hard to believe that we are at Year Nine of the Women's Royal Rumble, when once upon a time, something like that was just a pipe dream.

The Royal Rumble Match isn't just a battle royal, it's the battle royal. It's been around since 1988, and the rules are simple. 30 combatants battle it out, beginning with the pair who drew #1 and #2. The first two make their entrances, and the match begins. Every 90 seconds, each of the following participants enter, until all of them make their appearance. Elimination occurs when a participant is thrown over the top rope, and both feet have to touch the floor (we have Shawn Michaels to thank for the emphasis in the latter half of that rule). I have said 30 combatants, though in the first year, 1988, the Rumble Match had 20, and 2011 featured a 40-man Rumble.

For the first four years (1988-91), there was no prize for the winner. In 1992, the prize for in the Rumble Match was the vacant WWF Championship. Since 1993, the winner of the Royal Rumble Match received a main event World Championship match at WrestleMania, with the exception of the 2016 Rumble, which actually saw Roman Reigns defend the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the Rumble Match. Regarding the Women's Rumble, the winner received a Women's Championship match at WrestleMania.

The Rumble has had many memorable moments, and even more unforgettable winners. However, the most memorable Royal Rumble moment occurred on this day, 20 years ago.

2005

Rey Mysterio's 2005 was immensely memorable. In that year's Royal Rumble Match, Mysterio was among the Final Four. Less than a month later, Mysterio and longtime friend Eddie Guerrero captured the WWE Tag Team Championship, but despite being tag champions entering WrestleMania 21, the pair actually faced each other at the event, with Mysterio winning. After losing the tag titles a few weeks later, the pair went from partners to bitter rivals, battling in an unforgettable feud that lasted many months.

Sadly, on November 13, 2005, Eddie Guerrero passed away at age 38, and as WWE mourned the loss of Latino Heat, a few select superstars were featured centerpieces in remembering Guerrero. Mysterio was definitely one of them, and another was Batista (the reigning World Heavyweight Champion). In December of that year, Mysterio and Batista briefly held the WWE Tag Team Championship; winning the belts prior to the Armageddon event.

Royal Rumble

On January 29, 2006--20 years ago today, the 19th annual Royal Rumble took place in Miami. For a few occurrences, select combatants were shown selecting their numbers, and regarding Mysterio, he was shown with Big Show, and as Mysterio saw the number he ended up with, he looked up to the heavens ("Eddie, you did it to me again!"). We would find out what he meant very soon. After Lilian Garcia explained the rules, the #1 entrant came out, and it was Triple H. As for #2, that was Mysterio, and he came out in a Lowrider as a tribute to Eddie, which had The Game breaking character for a bit and smiling.

For the second straight year, Mysterio was in the Final Four, along with Triple H, Rob Van Dam (who entered at #20), and Randy Orton (who entered at #30). RVD's elimination let Mysterio alone with a pair of former Evolution members, though Mysterio managed to oust The Game--who delivered a parting shot to Mysterio. Orton was happy to capitalize; he had this won. Or so he thought, as Mysterio countered with a head scissors, and ousted Orton to win the Royal Rumble Match. Mysterio lasted one hour, two minutes, and 12 seconds, which was the Rumble record for longevity for a dozen years.

A Line-Crossing Roadblock

Five nights later on SmackDown, Mysterio was talking about his big win, the biggest victory of his career. He had won the Royal Rumble Match, joining a prestigious list of winners that include "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Batista, and the only three-time winner, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. It was an emotional win, as he was honoring Eddie Guerrero's memory, but he would be interrupted by runner-up Randy Orton, who referred to Mysterio's win as an act of divine intervention. Orton stated that there was no way Mysterio could have won that Rumble on his own.

Orton decided to challenge Mysterio to a match for Rey's WM22 spot, and when Mysterio looked up to the heavens, that's when Orton did it. He mocked Mysterio for looking up at the heavens for Eddie, and actually and infamously told Rey that "Eddie's down there... in Hell!" Mysterio delivered a huge and well-deserved beatdown to Orton in response, and it was a week later that Mysterio accepted Orton's callous challenge.

No Way Out

The contest took place at No Way Out on February 19, 2006, and No Way Out is a special event to Mysterio--the previous year's event him and Eddie Guerrero win the tag titles. This was the second time in four years that a RR winner put his WM title shot on the line; 2002 had the famous bout between Triple H and Kurt Angle, which Angle won thanks to Stephanie McMahon's crooked officiating. Michael Cole and Tazz (the SmackDown announcers) spent the bout in Mysterio's corner due to the emotional factors in this, as well as Orton's disgraceful conduct. The match was back and forth, but in a stunner, Orton cheated his way to victory, grabbing the middle rope for leverage.

Orton stole Mysterio's WM title shot, and added insult to injury with this:

"Guess what? I am headed to the main event of WrestleMania! Where are you going?"

The heartbreak was immense. Mysterio's golden opportunity was gone. Stolen by a very opportunistic Orton. But that would change just days later:

Back in the Picture

The first SmackDown after No Way Out saw Mysterio express his heartbreak over losing his opportunity to Orton, and he was later encountered by SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long. Long praised Mysterio, but stated that Orton is in the main event and he couldn't change that part. He could add to it, though! With Long announced that at WrestleMania 22, it would be Orton vs the World Champion (Kurt Angle was the champion, but at that time, he and Undertaker were set to face each other for the title a week later in a rematch from No Way Out) vs Rey Mysterio! Mysterio was elated! Cole and Tazz were excited! The fans were over the moon!

There was one person who was not happy about this, and that was Randy Orton. Orton kicked off that night boasting about his win, but before he was set to enter for a big tag match, he vented to Long backstage. Orton ranted about Chavo Guerrero being after him (maybe Orton shouldn't have said that Chavo's uncle was in the other place), about Angle and Taker's World Title rematch, and most of all, Orton complained about Long adding Mysterio to "his match at WrestleMania" and had the nerve to say that Long was "the worst GM in history." One of the many things I loved about Teddy Long was that he wasn't like most babyface authority figures. He would tell off heels directly, and in this case, he told Orton that if he didn't enter for his current match, he'd pull Orton from WM.

WrestleMania 22

Angle retained the title on March 3, so it was official: Angle vs Orton vs Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22. Part of the promotion for this bout actually included the three of them teaming together against WWE Champion John Cena and Triple H at Saturday Night's Main Event on March 18, 2006. The SmackDown side won, despite Orton backstabbing his partners.

WrestleMania 22 took place on April 2, 2006 in the Windy City--Chicago. It was a hell of an event with quite the card. Mark Henry was Undertaker's victim that year. Rob Van Dam won the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, the second-ever match in WWE. Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon had a very heated bout (which will be saved for another story), and Cena defended his title against Triple H. Regarding the World Title, while I didn't watch the event on PPV, I knew that it would be Mysterio's night. The weekend saw Eddie Guerrero posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame, and it was a foregone conclusion that Mysterio would take this. Plus, this was during that time where winning the Royal Rumble actually meant something, and on that evening, Rey Mysterio captured the World Heavyweight Championship by pinning Randy Orton.

Aftermath and Thoughts

I want to give my thoughts about this, because now that I actually have the public forum, I can call this out. For all that is right in the world, stop saying "Rey got pushed because of Eddie's passing." Just stop. I had to hear this for years. Was Rey Mysterio the centerpiece of WWE's honoring of Eddie Guerrero? Yes. Was Rey immensely talented, hard-working, and deserving of a main event push? Yes. Both of these things can be true, yet fans tend to focus more on the timing of Rey's push, rather than the fact that this--his first of three World Championship victories in WWE--was a lifetime in the making.

Mysterio had one hell of a title run, and I was planning to mention it as part of this story, but I feel that it should be saved for another story. 2006 was quite the year for Rey Mysterio, and to think, it all started 20 years ago today, when he outlasted 29 other wrestlers and won the Royal Rumble Match.