At the 2013 Royal Rumble, “The Great One” made history once again when he faced CM Punk for the WWE Championship.
The rock he is one of the best competitors to ever step into a professional wrestling ring. With endless charisma, he was one of the defining figures of the Attitude Era and a multiple-time world champion. The Rock had returned to WWE in 2011, when he cost John Cena the WWE Championship. They then agreed to meet at WrestleMania 28. After defeating The Miz and R-Truth at Survivor Series, they clashed at WrestleMania. The Rock won this match. A few months later, The Rock made his intentions in WWE known to everyone.
The People’s Champion sets his sights on the WWE Championship
At RAW 1000 in St. Louis, Missouri, The Rock made a special guest appearance on the show. After the failed wedding ceremony between Daniel Bryan and AJ Lee, CM Punk came down to the ring to address Bryan. As the two traded exchanges, The Rock came down to the ring. After insulting Bryan, The Rock opened up about his first WWE title win in St. Louis. He then turned his attention to Punk, who was in the midst of a historic WWE Championship reign. The Rock announced that he would challenge for the WWE Championship at the 2013 Royal Rumble, regardless of who was the champion.
Later that night, Punk retained the WWE Championship in a match against Cena, though he lost the match because The Big Show attacked Cena. The Rock would then attempt to deliver a “People’s Elbow” to Big Show, but was attacked by Punk, establishing himself as a heel for the remainder of his reign.
In the months leading up to the Royal Rumble, Punk defended his title against challengers such as Cena, Big Show, and Ryback. He also aligned himself with Paul Heyman as his manager. Meanwhile, The Rock would also make sporadic appearances on WWE television during this time. In the preparation for the match, he appeared more often in the preparation for the match.
The Rock and CM Punk exchange words prior to the Royal Rumble
Punk would criticize WWE in the build up to the match. He addressed how WWE gave numerous title matches to competitors like Cena, even during one of the worst stretches of his career, while other wrestlers were given none. He also touched on how he regularly competed on television and on pay-per-view. At this point in his career, Punk had held the WWE Championship for over 400 days, defeating all who stood before him. After this, The Rock came out and said that he was committed to winning the WWE Championship. He would reinforce this promise on RAW before the Royal Rumble, but was then defeated by The SHIELD.
It was speculated that Punk orchestrated the attack by The S.H.I.E.L.D. He denied this, accosting him on SmackDown before the Royal Rumble, telling The SHIELD to stay out of his business with The Rock. The Rock then vowed to beat him again, stating that it would all be over for Punk.
The Big One Clashes With The Best In The World For The WWE Championship
The night finally came. The Rock vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble. A stipulation was added that if The S.H.I.E.L.D. interfered, Punk would lose the title. Punk and Rock tried it, trading move after move. There were a lot of near misses during the match. However, just when it looked like The Rock was going to play “The People’s Elbow”, the lights went out. The Rock was put through the announcer’s table. SHIELD had been responsible. Punk then brought The Rock back to the ring and made the pin. It seemed that Punk’s reign would continue. But then something happened.
Finally, The Rock Becomes WWE Champion Again
Vince McMahon came out, and before he could strip Punk of the title, The Rock cut him off. He said, “Restart the match, now!” With McMahon’s permission, the referee did exactly that. The match was restarted. Punk was in control, elbowed off the top rope, then posed. However, The Rock took advantage. He landed a powerful column punch at Punk, followed by his signature “People’s Elbow”. The referee counted the three. It was the end of Punk’s championship reign at 434 days. The Rock had become the new WWE Champion for the first time in years.
The 2013 Royal Rumble saw not only another victory for The Rock, but also another Royal Rumble victory for Cena. After defending the title against Punk in a rematch and also introducing a new championship belt design, Cena and The Rock would return to headline WrestleMania for a second year with much more on the line.
