WWE Royal Rumble 2013: What We Learned from the 1st PPV of the Year

Finally! The pay-per-view over exceeded expectations. 

From the start, with the pre-show title match between The Miz and Antonio Cesaro to the end with the actual Battle Royale, I felt like I was continually entertained. 

Thank you, WWE. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come. Will all pay-per-view events be like this? Who knows, but it will be interesting to find out over the next 11 shows (yes, plunking down $44.99 for the event was well worth it).

The Rock is the champion and now we see what the WWE does with his character. And yes, John Cena is going to WrestleMania 29. 

Here is what we learned from the WWE masterpiece.

Antonio Cesaro Is Such a Powerful Athlete

You can talk about great feats of strength in wrestling, but let me state this for the record—Antonio Cesaro is one powerful SOB.

The match between Cesaro and The Miz delivered in the opener, setting the tone for what was to come.

We have seen the United States champion battle the likes of Sheamus and Ryback and hold his own. This competitor deserves headline status.

What a way to start things off.

The Miz: Looks Like He Really Did Hurt His Knee

The landing from the top rope by The Miz looked ugly. The leg injury he favored could be a factor in weeks to come.

Sometimes, it is obvious when moves are meant to fail. This looked more like a really bad landing. And when Antonio Cesaro planted him in the ring on that injured leg, I thought it could be worse than it seemed.

We shall see what happens in the days to come. They reported it as an ankle injury. I think differently.

Damn, Bret Hart Is Gray!

Bret Hart kicking off the regular show was pretty cool. But man, the dude looks his age. Love the fact the "Excellence in Execution" was there. That rocked!

And "Tattoo" getting the old-school Bret Hart glasses was classic!

Lilian Garcia

Do I really need to explain this? Seriously?

Maybe the most underrated woman in the WWE and professional wrestling.

Period.

Last Man Standing Match Was Ideal

The regular show was started off in the right way with Alberto Del Rio and Big Show.

The "Last Man Standing" Match delivered. Back and forth, back and forth and move for move.

And tables! Gotta love the tables.

"We got us a fight," as JBL said.

Pulling ADR by his hair was so cool. 

When the Walls Come Tumbling Down

Falling through the barrier wall just rocked. Old-school antics like the fire extinguisher and the duct tape.

Outstanding. Michael Cole was right.

Can't win when your legs are tapped to the bottom rope.

Brilliant! Del Rio remains champion.

Hell No! Hell Yes!

The tag team match between Team Hell No and Team Rhodes Scholars surprised me a bit.

I figured the tag team titles would change hands for sure. With the graduation from anger management, it would have been ideal for the title change.

No such luck.

This is a feud the WWE does not want to lose, and all four wrestlers sold it.

This feud should carry over to Elimination Chamber, where the titles should change hands.

We'll see.

Jericho!

Somehow, I thought the idea of a Royal Rumble without Chris Jericho was completely wrong.

Jericho and Dolph Ziggler kicking off the Rumble match was epic and so great to see. Loved the energy, loved the idea and it brought everyone in Arizona to their feet.

Kudos to the WWE for thinking of this. Hopefully, it means Jericho is now going to be a full-time part of the company.

And the tattoos rocked as well.

Goldust and Cody Rhodes

Finally, we saw the match we wanted.

And both delivered. Forget the idea of the Royal Rumble—this is family, and this was personal.

I wasn't sure which of the veterans the WWE would bring out, but Goldust was a real treat. And seeing them work against and with each other was a great show.

Cody proved to be the better Rhodes in the end.

Kingston Does It Again

Forget about the walk on his hands last year, although it was amazing. Kofi Kingston did it again.

After jumping on Tensai's back, Kingston decided he needed to get back to the ring, via a chair and an assist from JBL. 

Using the chair as a pogo stick, he hopped back to the ring, only to be eliminated by Cody Rhodes.

Still, it was awesome.

Ryback and Cena Is the Next Huge Thing

Isn't this what we wanted to see? I figured this might be the ending we would see. 

The current guard versus the future.

It was short-lived, but it was epic and predictable. John Cena swore he would go to WrestleMania, and he damn proved he could pull it off from the No. 19 slot.

Who will Cena choose? Let's hope it's against Ryback for the WWE title.

Rock Bottom

Was the announce table collapsing real and expected?

Doesn't seem that was supposed to happen. When The Rock grabbed his knee, I thought, "Oh No!"

Still, the two were able to move forward and "bring it."

CM Punk Wins, but Who Helped?

CM Punk wins, then loses.

How great is that? When Vince McMahon comes out, the real match begins. You have to love that.

The restart was the best thing for the match and the fans. Awesome.

Rock vs. Cena at WrestleMania 29

You know it is coming. 

Let's just see what happens. 

Rock/Cena II. It should be electric and exciting. The WWE now has a load of problems with scheduling, but we can only hope the company has a plan in place.

The fans were truly given a Grade A show.