The following is a summary of the main events that took place at the Royal Rumble 2013, a professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by WWE.

- In the first match of the night, Wade Barrett retained his Intercontinental Championship by hitting Kofi Kingston with the Bull Hammer elbow for the pinfall victory.
- Next, Antonio Cesaro successfully defended his United States Championship against The Miz, who suffered a cut above his eye during the match. Cesaro countered The Miz's Skull Crushing Finale attempt with a European uppercut and then delivered the Neutralizer for the win.
- The third match was a triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship, featuring Alberto Del Rio, Chris Jericho and The Big Show. Del Rio, who had won the title from The Big Show on an episode of SmackDown, entered the match with his personal ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez. Jericho, who had returned to WWE after a six-month hiatus, was a surprise entrant in the match. The Big Show dominated most of the match, but was unable to put away his opponents. The match ended when Del Rio locked The Big Show in the Cross Armbreaker, but Jericho broke it up with a Codebreaker on Del Rio. Jericho then pinned Del Rio to become the new World Heavyweight Champion.
- The fourth match was a tag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship, pitting Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) against Team Rhodes Scholars (Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow). Team Hell No had been undergoing anger management therapy to improve their teamwork, while Team Rhodes Scholars had earned their title shot by winning a tournament. The match was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams showing good chemistry and coordination. The finish came when Bryan applied the No Lock on Sandow, while Kane prevented Rhodes from interfering. Sandow tapped out, giving Team Hell No the victory and retaining their titles.
- The fifth match was the Royal Rumble match itself, where 30 wrestlers competed for a chance to challenge for either the WWE Championship or the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 29. John Cena entered the match as the number one entrant, while Ryback entered as the number 30 entrant. Other notable participants included Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus, Randy Orton, Kane, Daniel Bryan, The Godfather, Goldust, Kofi Kingston and Chris Jericho. The match featured several memorable moments, such as Kingston avoiding elimination by using a chair as a pogo stick, Goldust confronting his brother Cody Rhodes, and Jericho lasting over 47 minutes in the match. The final four were Cena, Ryback, Sheamus and Orton. Cena eliminated Orton with an Attitude Adjustment over the top rope, while Ryback eliminated Sheamus with a clothesline. Cena and Ryback then faced off in a tense showdown, exchanging power moves and near-eliminations. Cena finally managed to lift Ryback over his shoulders and toss him over the top rope to win the Royal Rumble match and earn his spot in the main event of WrestleMania 29.
- The sixth and final match was for the WWE Championship, between CM Punk and The Rock. Punk had been champion for over 400 days, while The Rock had returned to WWE after a year-long absence. Punk was accompanied by his manager Paul Heyman, who had helped him retain his title on several occasions. The Rock was determined to end Punk's reign and become WWE Champion for the first time since 2002. The match was intense and physical, with both men giving their best. Punk targeted The Rock's ribs with kicks and knees, while The Rock used his speed and power to counter Punk's offense. At one point, Punk hit The Rock with a GTS on the announce table, but it did not break. Later, The Rock hit Punk with a Rock Bottom on another announce table, but it also did not break. The match took a controversial turn when The Shield interfered and attacked The Rock while the lights went out. They put The Rock through another announce table with their triple powerbomb move. Punk then dragged The Rock back into the ring and pinned him to retain his title. However, Vince McMahon came out and announced that he was going to strip Punk of his title due to The Shield's involvement. Before he could do so, The Rock stopped him and demanded that he restart the match instead. McMahon agreed and ordered the referee to restart the match. Punk protested and tried to attack McMahon, but The Rock stopped him with a spinebuster. He then hit Punk with another Rock Bottom and pinned him to win the WWE Championship and end Punk's historic reign.