Despite their years-long in-ring rivalry, Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero were well known to be extremely close friends outside of the squared circle. Guerrero’s tragic passing in November of 2005 was incorporated into Mysterio’s onscreen journey to the main event scene. The fan-favourite underdog was determined to dedicate a Royal Rumble victory to his late friend. Speaking on a recent edition of WWE’s The Bump, Rey discussed driving Eddie’s Lowrider during his Royal Rumble 2006 entrance:
“Well, we had just lost Eddie, and the emotion was there, his spirit was there. I don’t think there was a better suggestion than to bring that lowrider in,” he said. “I don’t remember who it was exactly that said you’re coming out in a lowrider. I actually didn’t know until that day. So, the feeling was incredible. You could feel Eddie’s spirit there. There was no doubt in my mind that he was there with me that whole match.”
Rey driving Eddie’s lowrider clearly meant a lot to the star, heightening the emotion of an already huge night. After entering at number 2 and surviving in the match for a gruelling 1 hour 2 minutes and 15 seconds, Rey Mysterio won the 2006 Royal Rumble following a dramatic finish which saw the beloved luchador eliminate Randy Orton. He could have challenged for the WWE Championship which his friend held. However, Mysterio instead chose to challenge Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania 22.
The two up and coming stars then engaged in a feud fuelled by Orton’s disparaging remarks against Guerrero. However, Mysterio would ultimately go on to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania 22 in a triple threat match after pinning Orton, just one year after Guerrero and Mysterio faced off in Guerrero’s final Wrestlemania match.
Though Rey Mysterio is not currently announced for the 2021 Royal Rumble, an appearance is still possible. Despite not being considered a favourite to win the hotly anticipated match, a victory for the master of the 619 would eclipse Triple H’s record of a 14-year gap between Royal Rumble victories, giving Mysterio another impressive record in his WWE career. 15 years after succeeding in the face of seemingly impossible odds, could the ultimate underdog be poised for another chance at a world championship?
Credit to WWE’s The Bump for the interview and h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription