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#9 CM Punk vs. The Rock for the WWE Championship (Royal Rumble 2013)
The Rock's return to WWE in 2011 produced two of the largest grossing WrestleManias in company history. However, The Rock also made his presence known on other pay-per-views, including the Royal Rumble. In 2013, The Rock looked to reclaim the WWE Championship for the first time since 2002. The man that stood in his way had held the gold for 434 days heading into the show.
CM Punk took the wrestling industry by storm following his legendary pipe-bomb promo in 2011. With his profitable headline win at Money In The Bank 2011, the promotion had a brand new star to build around. Despite a convoluted conclusion to the Summer of Punk, "The Voice of the Voiceless" would win the WWE Championship for the second time at Survivor Series 2011 over Alberto Del Rio.
Through a gradual change, CM Punk became more cocky and aligned himself with Paul Heyman, and he became a huge villain to fans everywhere. The Rock returned with the goal to win back the gold, but Punk was defiant. Their match at Royal Rumble 2013 created an electric dynamic in Phoenix.
The Rock was the People's Champion and returning hero. Meanwhile, CM Punk was a former antihero who was resentful of the admiration for The Great One. The two men had a captivating 23-minute battle at Royal Rumble 2013 that had very good storytelling and intensity throughout the bout. Although The Rock had only been in the ring for the third time in eight years, this night delivered arguably his best match of his return.
Despite distractions and outside interference from Paul Heyman and The Shield, The Rock overcame it all. He landed the People's Elbow to defeat CM Punk for the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble 2013. This was his eighth reign with the WWE gold and his tenth overall. This also ended the longest WWE Title reign in 27 years and CM Punk's final reign in the company.
