Former WWE Writer Reveals That Rey Mysterio Almost Didn't Win The 2006 Royal Rumble

On the latest episode of WrestlingINC Weekly, former WWE creative writer Court Bauer and myself previewed tonight's card and discussed Bauer's experience with booking Rumbles while he was with WWE.

Bauer noted that in 2005 the winner of the Royal Rumble was determined well in advance, which wasn't the case in 2006.

"It came down to Hunter or Rey [Mysterio] winning, and obviously most people were pushing for Hunter," Bauer said. "Very few people were pushing for Rey, but the right guy was able to push that through and get it into the end zone, and that guy was Pat Patterson.

"Pat Patterson, Bruce Prichard and myself obviously wanted Rey to win. Pat had the most influence because he's Pat Patterson, and [he] really was the most influential in getting that decision and getting Rey over... But that was something that came down to the last ten days."

Bauer also discussed which WWE employees were against Mysterio winning and Vince McMahon's reaction, you can listen to the show below. Bauer's comments about the 2006 Royal Rumble start at the 26:00 mark.