~Commercial Break~
Ryback with a huge Eletctric Chair drop as we come back from the break. Ryback slams Punk on the ringside floor. He brings out a table, but Punk drives a chair into Ryback's midsection. He sets up the table, but Ryback arm drags on and over the announcer table! Back in the ring, Punk clips the knee of Ryback. He fetches a chair, then drives it into the bad leg, and again. Punk traps the leg in the chair,. Punk up top..but misses and tweaks the bad knee. Ryback fires up with a big back body drop and clotheslines. He revs up...MEATHOOK! Ryback gets Punk up for the Shell-Shock, but Punk floats out and out of the ring. Ryback pursues, but Punk sidesteps him and Ryback goes through a ringside table! Punk climbing the ladder in the ring, but Ryback is back up! Punk knocked off, but he shoves Ryback off, WHO PRESSES PUNK ONTO THE LADDER! Oh, that HAD to suck. Punk recovers with a chair shot, then a pair of high knees, but Ryback COUNTERS THE BULLDOG AND DROPS PUNK THROUGH THE TABLE AT RINGSIDE! Dear God, Punk did not land well. Ryback climbs the ladder, but the lights go out...the Shield is out! Reigns pulls Ryback down, but he clears them from the ring. Rollins and Ambrose hold Ryback for Reigns to hit him with a chair. They drag Ryback outside, TRIPLE POWERBOMB THROUGH A TABLE ONTO THE STEEL STEPS! Punk crawls back in as the Shield retreat. Punk, bad shoulder and all, slowly makes his way up, looks smugly down at Ryback and unhooks the championship.
Winner and STILL WWE Champion: CM Punk
-Punk and Heyman celebrate in the ring, as it is made official: Punk vs. The Rock at the Royal Rumble for the WWE Championship. We're reminded once again that the Rock IS LIVE (NOT via satellite) and will address the WWE Champion.
~Commercial Break~
-Striker backstage with Punk and Heyman. Punk promises to head back out to the ring and drop some pipe bombs for the Rock before he can entertain "his millions and millions."
-Bryan nursing his knee backstage. He and Kane blame each other for the loss to Rhodes Scholars. Vickie Guerrero interrupts, brings up the two men's issues, and mentions there will be a 4-month follow-up...WITH DR. SHELBY! Oh boy. Bryan and Kane get into a shout-fest over whether Shelby is a monster or a nerd. "MONSTER! NERD! MONSTER! NERD! NERD! MONSTER!" Ah, Kane with the old Bugs Bunny maneuver.
-Recap of Del Rio's save of Ricardo from the Big Show, and the World Champ faces Alberto this week on Smackdown, but faces Kofi tonight as a warm-up
~Commercial Break~
Non-Title Match: World Champion Big Show vs. Kofi Kingston
Kofi starts in on Show. The ref tries to break them up, but...BOOM! KO Punch by Show, and that's that.
Winner: Big Show
-We flashback to July 2012, where Rock made his intentions know for the WWE Championship, and Punk made his feelings about the Rock known with a GTS for the ages.
~Commercial Break~
Here comes CM Punk to call out The Rock.
-Punk and Heyman out once again, as we recap his victory over Ryback thanks to "surprise" assistance from the Shield. Punk tosses the WWE icon off the mic, which means it's "pipe bomb" time. He feels the term has been misused and wrongly defined. It's simply the truth boiled down to its purest form. He wonders about how people saw him as this savior and voice of the voiceless, then how people felt he turned into man who bitched and moaned about respect. That's not true, he's everything he initially claimed to be. In the end, though, it hasn't mattered if you're the best wrestler or talker, there has been a glass ceiling, and you're only popular if you're making money. People like Daniel Bryan and Brodus Clay putting a smile for the audience, performers like Tyson Kidd not getting their fair share of the spotlight, and Punk even lampshades the audience agreeing with him. If Punk had been in the Sammartino era, he'd have reigned for 20-30 years. Hogan didn't wrestle against the likes of Ryback, Punk has, and it's because of that he's successful, not because he's relied on the fans to back his popularity. He saw Roddy Piper crack a coconut over Snuka's head and didn't say he would "electrify" people, cry his eyes out, or make a heartfelt speech about missing performing for the fans. He's the best in the world. Two types of people: People in the spotlight, and people paying to watch people in the spotlight. He asks the audience to take a wild guess. There are superstars and nobodies, he's a superstar and we're the nobodies...a stage hand tells Punk to wrap it up, but Punk says the champion decides when he wants to go to break and continue to rag on the Miami crowd going into our final commercial break...
~Commercial Break~
The Rock is out next to confront CM Punk to end the show. OHH SH*T!
Punk is still in the ring.
Punk: I stand here on the first raw of 2013 as WWE Champion and I promise I will stand in the ring on the first Raw of 2014 as WWE Champion. What fuels me is your constant disappoint. I'm not going to let the Rock tear down everything I obtained. In 2011 when I beat Alberto Del Rio for this title I didn't just beat Del Rio, I beat the system. I didn't care who I defeated. I wasn't just beating them I was beating all of you and for 414 days that's what I have done. I have stomped you under my oppressive boot and that's what i'm going to do to The Rock. I don't care if he wins. You do not get to win. You are all losers. You do not get to win-
The Rock comes out and heads to the ring. He meets Punk face to face.
Rock: The Rock had to hear it all. The Rock wanted to wait until you said everything you had to say so The Rock knew... (Continues on next page)