The Royal Rumble 2013 main event between WWE Champion CM Punk and The Rock should have been an epic encounter. After all, Punk was in the middle of a historic 400-plus day reign atop Vince McMahon's wrestling empire while the Most Electrifying Man in Sports-Entertainment was challenging for the most coveted prize in the industry for the first time in 11 years. And for the most part, it was treated as such by WWE Creative in the run up to the contest. Both men cut stellar promos and much was made on commentary about the fact that Punk was facing the biggest threat to his title to date. The hype was there. Unfortunately, the execution left a lot to be desired. The match was moving along just fine until the finish, which saw the lights dim, The Shield attack The Rock and put him through a table, and Punk retain his title. Or so fans thought. Instead, Mr. McMahon appeared and threatened to strip Punk of the title due to the interference of the Hounds of Justice. Instead, Rock ordered the match restarted, which it was and moments later, he defeated Punk to become the new champion. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xyaf20_cm-punk-vs-the-rock-wwe-championship-royal-rumble-2013_sport The finish was so convoluted, so needlessly overbooked that it drug the quality of the whole match down significantly. Two stars of Punk and Rock's stature did not need all of the bells and whistles to deliver a satisfying conclusion. It was needlessly controversial, the only reason being to set up a rematch a few weeks later, something that could have been accomplished simply by having Punk demand his contractually obligated rematch.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
