PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

MINORU SUZUKI VS. CHRIS DICKINSON & MORE: 3/31 GCW JOSH BARNETT'S BLOODSPORT 8 IN DALLAS, TEXAS REPORT

GCW - Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 8

3/31/22 - Dallas, TX

Live on FITE.tv

The second show of the Collective kicks off my wave of Mania week coverage. The Bloodsport events usually have a FEW head turning contests…this is the case for most of the matchups on the card today. Lot of potential in this lineup.

We get the traditional lineup of participants and Barnett warms up the crowd for the combat to come. Dickinson and Suzuki almost get into it right during the ceremony, arguing over who will go to the back first. Suzuki gets his way. Lenny Leonard & Rocky Romero are on commentary.

Match 1: Masha Slamovich vs Janai Kai

Masha is outgunned early on the feet, she gets ahold of the Kick Demon and tries to put her to sleep. Locked on the ground, Masha tries to get the ankle, Janai tries to reverses but gives up another RNC to Masha. Masha wants a guillotine but Kai gets up and throws feet with intent. Masha drags her down into a labelle lock, hammerfists and punches, Kai throwing heels. Kai staggers her with a knee but Masha suplexes her, float over into a cross armbreaker to get the tap!

Winner: Masha Slamovich 

Match 2: Ninja Mack vs Yoya

Mack de masks himself as he steps up on the platform for his contest! Yoya pops through the handshake but Mack is ready for it and takes him down. Grappling around in the lockup, Yoya with a good up kick. Yoya ducks a palm strike and crumbles Mack with a spinning back kick to the face! Mack isn’t done though. They tumble down to the floor after Mack eats another kick to the mouth. Belly to belly throw to Yoya. Mack misses a spinning capo kick, Yoya grabs him into a triangle. Yoya gets his legs kicked out and needs to take a lap around the ring to clear his head. Trading in the standup, Yoya trying to take the ankle. Mack with a gutwrench, Yoya gets the ankle! Mack out, Yoya catches him and sends them both flying out of the ring again. Yoya with a single leg crab, Mack is screaming. Mack pops out and comes in with a 540 capo kick that spikes Yoya’s face into the mat. Instant KO! This was great.

Winner: Ninja Mack

Match 3: Bad Dude Tito vs Royce Isaacs

Slow start are they feel each other out in the grapple. Tito using his power to walk through some early shots but Isaacs throws enough to force him to cover up. Royce trying for the ankle but gets pulled into a RNC. Transition to a cross arm bar but Royce is out. Tito gets to throwing hands but Royce starts throwing knees to the ribs that send Tito to the floor. Trading germans! Tito rolls through a German to knee bar attempt. Royce with a T bone suplex into a sleeper. Tito right out and to the knee bar! Royce catches Tito with a guillotine and rolls him up in it to force the tap!

Winner: Royce Isaacs

Match 4: Alex Coughlin vs SLADE

These two go right head to head before the bell rings. They barely want to wait for the intros. Alex with the takedown and SLADE landing big shots. Alex returning fire but it doesn’t faze SLADE. Big shots and stomps from SLADE. Alex catches the ankle but lets SLADE pull him into another choke. Alex dropping elbows, SLADE escapes and just tries a one hand choke. Trading big forearms and raging through them. Alex hits a backdrop, SLADE pops up with a chokeslam! Standing guillotine, Alex switches into a German. Alex grabs a standing RNC, SLADE falls back and is smiling as he goes to sleep. Coughlin conquered the monster! A scary SLADE comes to and demands a fist bump from the man that put him to sleep.

Winner: Alex Coughlin

Match 5: Simon Gotch vs John Hennigan

Shouldn’t we be calling him Johnny Bloodsport? The announcer makes sure we do! Gotch is intense tonight. Trading kicks in the standup early. Gotch frustrated early as has to take a lap. Hennigan sweeps the leg and takes mount. Simon slips out the bottom and takes the back. Hennigan spins out to a knee bar. Gotch pulls him apart and hits palm strikes to the ear. Grappling on the mat, Johnny dropping bombs but Gotch firing up. He stands up but Johnny cartwheels, blasts a lariat and tries to choke him out. Gotch out, butterfly toss and a knee. Johnny with a soccer kick to the ribs. Gotch wants Johnny in his guard but he’s eating lots of leg kicks. Johnny tries a cross arm breaker, Gotch rolls it over and stacks him for elbows to the face. Trading palm strikes and forearms. Johnny with a arm lock takedown and traps Gotch deeeeep in a guillotine. Gotch goes to sleep!

Winner: John Hennigan

Match 6: Zeda Zhang vs Marina Shafir

Zeda has a score to settle dating back to their time in WWE. They trading strikes carefully before Zeda jumps off the platform, Marina follows but early a knee to the gut. Marina take the back in the ring, trying to get the arm. Zeda out but doesn’t capitalize and chooses to let Marina back up. Marina takes her down again, Zeda wants the ankle but Loses the side mount and gets slammed. Big scoop slam from Shafir. Zeda slips the mount to take the back. Marina throws her off painfully. Marina circling and picking her apart with kicks and trips. Zeda gets the back and gets a RNC…Marina fights it off, trying for a heel hook. Marina with a side headlock, Zeda rolls free, fights off more attacks on the ankle. Zeda gets wrapped up by Shafir in a head scissor/ wrist lock submission. It’s tight and deep and Zeda is forced to give it up.

Winner: Marina Shafir

Match 7: Timothy Thatcher vs JR Kratos

Welcome back to Wrestling, Mr Murderface! The crowd is overjoyed to have Tim back. Kratos does not look worried. Gutwrench slam by Kratos, Thatcher gets a knee on the face and starts to work the shoulder. Kratos is getting distracted by the very pro-Thatcher crowd. Kratos with another slam and Thatcher twists him up from the bottom. Thatcher grapevines the legs and slowly works Kratos over into a surfboard. Kratos out for a cross armbreaker…Thatcher dropping bombs and sinks into a half crab. Deathlock! Thatcher drops back into the lock over and over. Kratos is large and reverses a back suplex into a crossbody splash. Huge vertical suplex to Thatcher. Tim wants to trade shots?!? Kratos yells and Thatcher blasts a headbutt that crumbles them both. Kratos is busted wide open! They are both furious! Kratos cuts Thatcher down with a running lariat and latches on a head and arm choke. Is Thatcher going to sleep??? Thatcher slowly slips out, back suplex, clubbing blows to the back and tries an armbar. Kratos powers out, piledriver! Downwards Superman punch as Thatcher is looking up at the lights and the ref is forced to stop this! Wild fight but the crowd is VERY upset at the result.

Winner: JR Kratos 

Match 8: “Speedball” Mike Bailey vs Yuya Uemura

Yuya get the top position but Speedball slaps free. Cautious trades in the stand up. Yuya catches a kick and plants Bailey with a slam. Bailey back up and connects a good kick, runs in for a choke but Yuya twists back to top position and throws some strikes. Yuya going for the wrist, arm drag takeover by Bailey and dropping strikes and elbows! Yuta firing up with his own strikes! Grappling in the mount and Yuya rolls them to the floor…Bailey dropped on his head. Speedball back in and almost KO’s Yuya with a series of heavy kicks and knees. It’s real close. Air raid crash from Yuya! Yuta tries a funiwara armbar, Bailey scrambles for a counter but is forced to tap to a flash cross armbreaker! 

Winner: Yuya Uemura

Match 9: Josh Barnett vs Jonah

Is Jonah nervous in the presence of the Warmaster? Hell nah. Jonah with the takedown and presses his weight into the shoulder. Barnett is a veteran grappler of course and is able to reverse these holds. Jonah gets ahold of the head and cranks it from the top. Jonah chopping the back and goes for a rear choke. Double wrist lock attempt fails and Barnett is back to his feet…but gasping for breath. Barnett hitting some good kicks but Jonah with a cross body slam back into the headlock, squeezing the life out of Josh’s cranium. Josh out, more kicks…Jonah with a lariat and senton! Palm strikes and back to cranking at the neck. Barnett slips out, gets the arm…Jonah rolls through and lands a series of forearms to Barnett’s faces. Josh firing back! Jonah with a headbutt! Spinning wheel kick from Barnett! Headlock suplex! Barnett slaps on a heel hook! Jonah tries to fight out but Barnett sinks deeper and forces the tap! Hard fought win for the Warmaster!

Winner: Josh Barnett

Match 10: Jon Moxley vs Biff Busick 

Biff wants to fight everyone and Moxley is  very game for this encounter. This is gonna be one for the Blackpool Combat Club record books. The crowd is well divided between the two. Right into the scramble, Moxley and Biff trading positions. Moxley takes the back and pulls back on the neck. Biff gets the head, Moxley tries to slam out of it but nearly DDT’s himself. Moxley with a shoulder lock. He grabs the arms and drops some stomps a la the American Dragon. Back suplex drops Biff on his head. Moxley rains 12 to 6 elbows and hits a running knee that sends Biff flying to the floor. Busick is busted open and Moxley hits a suplex to the floor. Biff with a ridiculously loud chop! Moxley wants more. Moxley boots him in the face and sinks back into a crossface chicken wing. Biff is GUSHING! Mox bites at the wound. Busick isn’t done and Moxley pours on the strikes and knees. Huge slaps from Busick! He tries to grab a double wristlock! Mox with the bird. Biff with a half and half suplex, European uppercut! Biff raining punches and tries a bulldog choke. Mox pops out with a lariat, rains punches and sinks in a cross armerbreaker. Busick up with Danielson stomps to the face. Mox hits a Death Rider, bulldog choke…Biff won’t tap. Biff throws the birds before Mox KO’s him with another running knee. Holy hell what a fight! The crowd gives massive respect to both of these warriors. Mox holds a bloodied Biff’s hand up before leaving him to the crowd’s love. 

Winner: Jon Moxley

Main Event: Chris Dickinson vs Minoru Suzuki

Heeeeeere we go again! Dickinson lost this dream bout originally due to the pandemic in 2020. Since then he has tangled with Suzuki twice, on NJPW Strong & on the previous Bloodsport event….losing both encounters. After recovering from injury, will third time be the charm for the returning Dirty Daddy in tonight’s main event? Dickinson is in aggressively but Suzuki waits it out and takes the back. Dickinson shows that his hips are fine as he pops right out to the top, and goes for a heel hook. Suzuki gets the other leg but Dickinson sends him out to the floor. Back in the ring, Dickinson trying to go for a kimura but Suzuki pops out to try and stomp his head off. Chris yelps in pain as Suzuki wraps up the ankle and forced him to roll on that repaired hip. Suzuki is laughing as he tries for downward palm strikes to the face. Dickinson out to the top, big strike to Suzuki who sits right up. Suzuki wants more of THAT and walks right into Dickinson’s face. Trading forearms, loud chops and big yells. Murder Grandpa is smiling still. Dickinson drops back but Suzuki is ready and picks the legs out. Dickinson slaps free but Suzuki is right back up to return fire again. Sweat flying off as they trade slaps. Suzuki slaps the spirit right out of him. Dickinson fires back up but Suzuki pummels him to the mat with another flurry. Suzuki demands he get back up. Another trade! Dickinson with a spinning back kick and it might have been low. The ref doesn’t call it. Suzuki back up. Enziguri! Brain buster from Dickinson! Chris Dickinson dropping elbow after elbow, Suzuki goes limp and the ref stops the fight!

Winner: Chris Dickinson

Suzuki is furious at the loss and throws a chair at the ring as he storms to the back in a rage. Dickinson grabs the mic and challenges the crowd for booing him. The Dirty Daddy is back and this is his house. This was a wild card. Really enjoyed this overall. The collective continues at 8pm for Spring Break part 1. As for me, I’m hitting the road for Worcester to cover Wrestling Open! Until then!

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!

• Tweet