WATCH: When the Rock Made History by Retaining the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber in His First Title Defence Since 2002

The Rock made history at the 2013 Royal Rumble by halting CM Punk’s record-breaking title reign. After 434 days of dominance, CM Punk finally dropped the WWE Championship.

And within a month of winning the title, the People’s Champion defended it at the Elimination Chamber PPV.

The Rock beats CM Punk at Elimination Chamber 2013

CM Punk seemed hellbent on reclaiming a title he claimed to have lost unfairly. In the build to the historic rematch, Punk even stole the WWE Championship belt after attacking The Rock. Above everything, a WrestleMania main event was on the line.

However, The Rock was equally motivated to save his spot at the ‘Grandest Stage of Them all.’ This was his first title defence since 2002, when he defended the same title against Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.

Both men engaged in a vicious back-and-forth battle, which saw Punk dominating the People’s Champion. Rocky fought back valiantly, forcing Punk to go into defence mode. However, a ref bump swung the odds of the match in Punk’s favour.

Punk’s manager, Paul Heyman, tried his best to help his client, but their cleverness paid no dividends. The Rock picked a nearfall with the People’s Elbow, but the referee went down again after Punk landed on his ankle.

Heyman was up on the ropes, and he grabbed hold of the Rock. Punk tried to smash the champion’s face with the title he stole but hit Heyman instead. Punk turned around and ate a final Rockbottom, sealing his fate once and for all.

What else occurred at Elimination Chamber 2013?

The 2013 edition of the Elimination Chamber featured some marquee matches, including the Chamber match itself.

The Shield took on the super-team of John Cena, Sheamus and Ryback. Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns eked out a win against the veterans, which became the launchpad for their successful careers in WWE.

Alberto del Rio defended his World Heavyweight Championship successfully against the Big Show, as the giant tapped out to del Rio’s patented Cross Armbreaker.

In the Chamber match, an unlikely winner emerged. Jack Swagger, now AEW’s Jake Hager, defeated Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Mark Henry, Daniel Bryan and Kane. He won the right to challenge Alberto del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania.

Read More: How Did CM Punk Achieve His Dream of Becoming a WWE Champion?