January 14, 2013 - Monday Night Anarchy - Rochester, NY

Commentators: Josh Daniels & Scott Michaels
Attendance: 7,290

Peter Bradshaw starts off the show by walking to the ring. Bradshaw says that came out tonight because he didn’t want to waste anyone’s time by delaying what needed to be done. He says that he has spent the last few days going over the evidence that was provide to him by Eddie Edwards and Jay Briscoe concerning the well-being of Cody Rhodes. He says that, despite some personal misgivings, the evidence is undeniable. He calls Cody to the ring, and Rhodes joins him in street clothes. Bradshaw says that, based on what was provided to him, he feels that it would be best to send Rhodes to a 60-day rehabilitation facility. Bradshaw tells Rhodes that, if he does not complete the 60 days, he will have no choice but to fire Rhodes. Bradshaw asks if Rhodes has anything to say to the crowd before leaving the ring. Rhodes takes a moment before telling the crowd that the way he’s handled himself since coming back is not the way a former champion should. Rhodes promises to do what he needs to do in order to come back and get back to where he belongs. Rhodes leaves the ring as the crowd chants his name.

Commercial Break

Eric Young vs. Brutus Magnus
Last night, Eric Young and Martin Kirby tried unsuccessfully to claim the Tag Team Titles from AJ Styles and Kofi Kingston. Tonight, he was back in singles action, a week after picking up a victory in a Triple Threat Match against Tyson Kidd and David Otunga. Young looked impressive against Magnus, thanks to using the ring post to his advantage outside the ring! Magnus worked his way back into the match, using a chokehold that nearly got him DQ’d. But it wasn’t enough to put Young away, who hit a Northern Lights Suplex for the victory.

Eric Young pinned Brutus Magnus after a Northern Lights suplex in 10:12.
Rating: ** ½

Commercial Break

Returning from the break, Alisha Hicks is seen with Nikki Bella, who is smiling. Nikki says that she’s happy tonight because she just received some exciting news. But, it’s a surprise, and she’s going to wait and tell everyone when her sister, Brie, can be there to enjoy it with her. Nikki smiles and walks off-screen.

Non-Title Match
Melina vs. © Brie Bella

Brie Bella came into tonight feeling very confident after a successful title defense against OBD last night at Brutality. Brie took what the stronger challenger had to give her but came out on top. Tonight, she stood across the ring from a former Women’s Champion, Melina, who has been struggling for any constant success as of late. Being a former champion though, Melina did give Brie a fight for most of the match. But, in the end, Brie connected with a knee lift that caught Melina on the chin, allowing the champion to make the cover. After the match, speculation ran rampant as to what “good news” Brie’s sister, Nikki, had to share.

[Non-Title Match]:
Brie Bella pinned Melina after a kneelift in 9:32.
Rating: ** ½

Commercial Break

Backstage, The Independents and Shane Hagadorn are seen with Alisha Hicks. Hagadorn reminds everyone that Castagnoli and Corino have been on hot streaks as of late. And, with their win last night at Brutality, they have put themselves in a position to challenge for the Tag Team Titles. Hagadorn then issues the challenge to AJ Styles and Kofi Kingston to put the titles on the line at Best of the Best.

Non-Title Match
Mike Sydal & Adam Cole vs. © AJ Styles & Kofi Kingston

Last night, Styles and Kingston kept their impressive winning streak going with another successful title defense against Eric Young and Martin Kirby. Tonight, they stepped into the ring with Sydal and Cole, who have been gaining themselves a not-so-favorable reputation as of late. For weeks now, Cole has said that he feels slighted by the competition inside the ring, believing he should be facing top-tier talent due to having been a former Heavyweight Champion. But against a three-time Heavyweight Champion, Cole’s motives did not change. As he and Styles were brawling outside the ring, Cole grabbed a steel chair and cracked it over Styles’ back! The referee quickly called for the bell, as Cole continued to swing the chair down onto AJ’s body. Satisfied, Cole tossed the chair to the ground and walked away, as Kofi checked on AJ.

[Non-Title Match]:
AJ Styles & Kofi Kingston defeated Mike Sydal & Adam Cole when Styles defeated Cole by DQ in 9:25.
Rating: *** 1/2

Commercial Break

Kurt Angle’s music plays as he makes his way to the ring, getting a booed by the crowd. Angle says that he may not have been added to the Brutality main event last night and that’s fine. He sat in the back and watched John Cena lose again to CM Punk. Angle gives credit to Punk for his determination in getting the Heavyweight Title back over the course of last year. Angle says that Punk is still trying to prove to everyone that he is “The Best in the World” but promises that it’s harder than Punk knows. Angle says it’s fitting that the next pay-per-view is Best of the Best because he is clearly the best opponent for Punk. He says he doesn’t need to go through a battle royal to earn a shot at Wrestleocalypse because, after Best of the Best, he’ll be going there as champion!

Commercial Break

Tyson Kidd vs. Christopher Daniels
Last Monday night, both Kidd and Daniels had losing efforts on Anarchy, so they were both looking to regain momentum with a victory tonight. Kidd was facing possibly his toughest challenge of the past month, whereas Daniels was trying to make a claim for being a challenger to the X-Division Title down the line. These former champions put on a very good match, but Daniels surprised Kidd with an enzuigiri for the 1-2-3.

Christopher Daniels pinned Tyson Kidd after an enzuigiri in 10:25.
Rating: ** ¾

Commercial Break

Returning from the break, Peter Bradshaw is seen with Alisha Hicks backstage. Bradshaw announces that due to the result of their match at Brutality, Matt Morgan and Kevin Steen will face off in a No-Countout Match for the X-Division Title, next week on Anarchy.

Matt Morgan vs. Steve Corino (w/Shane Hagadorn)
After the announcement made by Peter Bradshaw prior to this match, the atmosphere was thick with tension, as Matt Morgan had added pressure placed on his shoulders to perform well. Just 24 hours ago, Morgan and Steen’s match ended in a double-countout, clearly leaving both men with a sense of unfinished business. But that business will taken care of in seven days. Tonight, Morgan had to deal with Steve Corino, who along with Claudio Castagnoli, was coming off an impressive victory last night at Brutality. Morgan may have been overlooking Corino, as he was shocked by his opponent’s strong start. However, when Morgan turned his focus onto the match at hand, he failed to take Shane Hagadorn into account at ringside. Hagadorn interfered, tripping Morgan, allowing Corino to take “The Blueprint” down with the Sliding Lariat for a huge victory.

Steve Corino pinned Matt Morgan with the Sliding Lariat in 8:22.
Rating: *** ¼

Commercial Break

Best of the Best Qualifying Match
Claudio Castagnoli (w/Shane Hagadorn) vs. Shannon Moore vs. John Cena vs. Alex Riley vs. Eddie Edwards

Tonight’s main event was the first of three qualifying matches to determine the entry order for the 15-man battle royal at Best of the Best. It was announced that the first four eliminations tonight would be the first four entries into the Battle Royal on February 10th. The winner would move on to a Triple Threat Elimination match to determine the final three spots. Things started off interestingly enough as Castagnoli and Moore continued their feud from last night. This time Moore got the upper hand, eliminating Castagnoli just over three minutes into the match. But his success was short-lived, as Cena quickly toss Moore over the top rope just seconds later. From then on, it was a three-way battle to see who would earn a spot in the final Triple Threat Match. Sensing they had a chance, Edwards – coming off a huge victory against Cody Rhodes last night – teamed up with Alex Riley in the hopes of wearing down Cena. Cena struggled to take on both men by himself, but things started to unravel soon for Edwards and Riley. Neither man was willing to let the other eliminate Cena, which turned into a shoving match. Cena took advantage of this and blindsided Edwards, tossing him over the top rope as Riley looked on. For the next 20 minutes, Riley and Cena fought tooth and nail for that spot in the Triple Threat Match. Cena eventually ducked a clothesline attempt, hitting the F-U before tossing Riley out of the ring. Cena crumpled to the canvas as the fans booed his victory.

[Best of the Best Qualifying Match]:
John Cena won a 5-man Battle Royal:
X S. Moore threw out Castagnoli in 3:23.
X J. Cena threw out S. Moore in 3:41.
X J. Cena threw out E. Edwards in 15:15.
X J. Cena threw out A. Riley after the F-U in 35:24.
Rating: *** ½

Card rating: *** ¼

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