He may be known as the Heartbreak Kid, but it was Shawn Michaels who had his heart broken at the 2010 Royal Rumble by Batista.In without doubt one of the best ever eliminations in the now-36-year history of the famous match, the Animal, freshly-turned heel weeks prior, crushed the WrestleMania dreams of HBK in a truly agonising moment.With the Rumble fast approaching, let’s rewind the clock 13 years and revisit this memorable elimination.

How did Batista eliminate Shawn Michaels?

Michaels was a man on a mission entering the 2010 Royal Rumble, with winning it being his only apparent route to a much-desired WrestleMania rematch with The Undertaker, who was the then-World Heavyweight champion.

Entering at No.18, HBK was on an absolute tear, eliminating a match-high six combatants including his best friend and DX partner Triple H in a somewhat shocking moment.

Making the final four, he found himself amongst fellow all-stars John Cena, a returning Edge and his soon-to-be eliminator, Batista.

As the men fought in the ring, Michaels and Edge found themselves on the apron in a precarious position. Edge was hit with some sweet chin music but fortunately fell back into the ring.

With HBK still on the apron, Batista struck, hammering into him. As Michaels teetered on the brink, the Animal smashed his fingers, forcing him to the ground in agonising fashion.

Look at one of the best and most heartbreaking eliminations ever below (clip shared on Twitter by @WilliamRBR)

VIDEO: Batista eliminates Shawn Michaels from the 2010 Royal Rumble

What happened next for Shawn Michaels?

The elimination was so brilliantly done, with Michaels’ dreams slowly slipping away as his fingers did from the ropes. His facials here were top notch as you could feel his character’s pain at losing his ‘Mania dream (Batista’s vicious heel character also deserves praise here).

This was matched by the crowd and the commentary team, with Matt Striker saying it best when he said “hearts have been broken right now, everyone wanted to see Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker, the rematch.”

Shawn Michaels superkicks The Undertaker at Elimination Chamber 2010

Shawn Michaels superkicks The Undertaker at Elimination Chamber 2010

They did eventually see it, with HBK forcing Taker into a Streak vs Career match after he cost him his World title at Elimination Chamber the following month.

Comments left on the clip are a testament to Michaels' acting as it genuinely felt like he had been robbed of the win.

Shawn Michaels Royal Rumble 2010 was heartbreaking

Shawn Michaels Royal Rumble 2010 was heartbreaking

Shawn Michaels Royal Rumble 2010 was heartbreaking

Shawn Michaels Royal Rumble 2010 was heartbreaking

Shawn Michaels Royal Rumble 2010 was heartbreaking

Shawn Michaels Royal Rumble 2010 was heartbreaking

As for the Rumble winner, that was Edge who had returned in the match after a lengthy injury absence. It sounds familiar - he did the same in 2021, 11 years on from his first triumph.

Will Edge appear again in this year’s match?

Rumours suggest he will, having not been seen since his loss to Finn Balor at Extreme Rules. This would be yet another Rumble return for Edge, following on from 2010 and 2021 as well as his epic comeback in 2020.

Read more: Edge's return at the 2020 Royal Rumble was unbelievable