7 WWE Royal Rumble Eliminations That Were NEVER SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!

4. Shawn Michaels (2010)

Shawn Michaels Royal Rumble 2010
WWE

Shawn Michaels is Rumble royalty, and he's 'skinned the cat' so many times in the iconic match that the spot has become a go-to trope for others since he retired from full time work. Yes, Michaels is a master of hanging on by a thread...except when he isn't.

There's just too much evidence against his 2010 elimination being worked.

Shawn Michaels Royal Rumble 2010
WWE Network

Look at Batista's worried expression in the still image above, and note how Shawn desperately clawed at the ropes as he lost balance and fell to the outside. Nobody's claiming that Batista wasn't meant to eliminate HBK, or that Michaels was going to win the match (Edge's comeback win made more sense), but there's a chance he wasn't supposed to fall out there.

The elimination was a bit of an anti-climax for Shawn. Typically, he made the best of it and proceeded telling a brilliant story of desperation before working another absolute classic with The Undertaker at 'Mania. If this was a mistake, he made it work.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.