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GCW “Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 9”
3/30/23 - Fite+
We have our traditional walkout and presentation of all of tonight’s combatants ahead of the fights themselves. I really like this gimmick for this show. Jesus ,Thatcher and Barnett looks as murderous a matchup as one could hope. Pretty full crowd for BLOODSPORT. Barnett takes the mic to introduce the show and remind everyone this is the hardest hitting event in pro wrestling. Lenny Leonard & Dan Barry are on the call tonight. Let the battles commence!
Match 1: Calder McColl vs Jeff Cobb
Both guys are undefeated at Bloodsport. Cobb is fresh off his title match with Omega at AEW. McColl takes the back quickly, Cobb fighting it off but Calder is tenacious. Transition to a heel hook but Cobb just powers out of it. McColl baits Cobb into his guard and gets the ankle again….roll to escape. Cobb invites McColl to the mat himself….Calder flips over and grabs the arm. Cobb fighting the double wrist lock off….front choke and he suplexes him through that. Yeeeet. McColl drops a bomb and stuns the big man. Palm strikes to the ribs and they roll to the floor. The ref breaks it up and they very cautiously make it back onto the mat, never breaking eye contact. Cobb loses the back, McColl trying for a RNC. Cobb escapes but McColl takes him right back down. He tries a flying triangle but Cobb catches him…..POWERBOMMMMMMMMB! Cobb starts dropping huge hands into the side of McColl’s head and he goes limp. The ref pulls Cobb off!
Winner: Jeff Cobb (ref stoppage)
Match 2: Calvin Tankman vs Erik Hammer
This starts with the good standup chess match, Hammer tries to pick the ankle but Tankman is a big dude. Tankman takes the back and gutwrenchs him to the mat. Hammer rolls to the floor for a quick breather, he’s back after an 18-month layoff and Tankman is a huge test. Tankmn stalking him with strikes, Hammer starting to throw knees…Tankman with a huge toss and hammer fists. Tankman pressing his weight down but Hammer switches it and drops a bunch of elbows. Cal stands up through it…..Hammer takes him down from the front, he rolls Tankman over and wraps up a wrist lock and Tankman is trapped and has to tap!
Winner: Erik Hammer
Match 3: Killer Kelly vs Marina Shafir
Shafir feels her out with kicks, Kelly starts to lose the position and Marina takes her down. Kelly fighting off the back dominance….Marina is very confident in these exchanges. Killer Kelly seems unusually outmatched here. Fireman carry take over with ease. Marina just pieces her out of the ring. They fight on the floor, this is getting ugly….Kelly grabs the legs and Marina’s head bounces off the floor! Kelly grabs the arm and starts to tear at it. Snap German bounces Marina’s head off the mat again. And again. Marina is trying to shake the cobwebs off but Kelly is relentless. Kelly grabs a cravat and throws a couple of knees. Marina snaps too, huge kick puts Kelly on her a**. Marina with a toss, takes the back….she wants the choke…Kelly standing up…Marina takes the back again and falls into a triangle choke and has to tap out. This was significantly more one sided than I think anyone expected.
Winner: Marina Shafir
Match 4: Speedball Mike Bailey vs Kota Ibushi
WILD that I am watching this. The word is that Ibushi is nursing a bad shoulder so this could have an effect for sure in his return to professional wrestling. The crowd is ridiculously hype for this one. Very hesitant standup, feeling out the openings. Bailey throwing those fast kicks while Ibush’s hands are finding a home….Bailey gets caught and has to backpedal to his feet! Ibushi eats a shot to the ribs and Bailey tries to put him to sleep. Head and arm triangle! Ibushi tries to transition to a crab but settles for a rear choke. Bailey slips the hold to side control. He clearly is trying to put pressure on that injured limb. Ibushi rolls to top and throws some palm strikes down. Bailey defending well and mule kicks Ibushi off him and out of the ring entirely. Kota takes a moment to breathe, he reenters, Bailey comes in and Ibushi lands a wicked kick. And another! Bailey is staggered. Kota might have this….Speedball right back up with his kick flurry! Kneesault connects! Ibushi tries to take the waist and Speedball heads to the floor to break it…Ibusi hits a German from the floor back into the ring. WOW! Speedball miss a kick, Ibushi hits a regal Plex….V TRIGGER! That knee was solid and Bailey is KO’d! This was awesome!
Winner: Kota Ibushi
Chavo Guerrero Jr is out here! He’s here to present Erik Paulson with a Bloodsport Lifetime Achievement Award for his career as both a fighter and a trainer, most notably for tonight as he trained Josh Barnett himself.
Match 5: Yuya Uemura vs Bad Dude Tito
No handshake for this one. Yuya pushes Tito right to the edge of the ring. Tito in the lockup and just shoves Yuya off the platform. Yuya double legs him and they scramble. Yuya wants an arm breaker, but Tito wrestlers away. They roll around through a variety of holds, Tito tries his own arm breaker, no luck. Tito snags the leg for a knee bar but Yuya floats over and slaps right down on him. Yuya offering the guard and throws upkicks at those trunks. Yuya with a belly to belly and a drop kick! He dives off the platform at Tito! Tito is in trouble, huge German connects. Yuya can’t pin in Bloodsport. Tito grabs the ankle….he gets over to a standing position….he drops back into hold and Yuya has to tap out.
Winner: Bad Dude Tito
Match 6: Harry Smith vs JR Kratos
I maintain that JR Kratos looks like the main character of the old Karnov video game. Massively intimidating but somehow he seems dwarfed by Smith, who is just huge. Smith slowly controls the big man, grabs the wrist and takes him right down. Kratos trying to power out but Smith is so skilled. Kratos finally escapes…or maybe Smith lets him free for a moment? Kratos stuff the takedown and grabs a front chancery….big knee to the side and Smith gets RIGHT out of there. Kratos tries to grab him again but Smith is out of the grip again. He’s smiling! Smith drops Kratos and takes the wrist again….Kratos rolls it over and throws some short elbows. Smith finds a target and starts kneeing Kratos right in the head and ribs. JR with a wicked right! Smith throwing hard slaps right back! Big knees to the ribs and Kratos buckles! Smith wants a piledriver maybe? Kratos fights it off and find a home for these short elbows. Kratos tries a Boston crab but he collapses trying to hold it….Smith swarms and puts more punishment on the mid section. Smith grabs the head and just punts him in the side of the head. He pulls up Kratos and his a release powerbomb! JR is still alive! He struggles to his feet…..FLYING KNEE TO SMITH! PELE KICK! Both guys both and exhausted! Slow shots back and forth, both guys refusing to go to sleep. This fires up to a frenzy…Kratos catches a kick, tries a suplex….Smith drags it down to a crossface! Kratos fights but has to tap. Sick fight.
Winner: Harry Smith
Match 7: Royce Isaacs vs Johnny Bloodsport
This is kind of a delightful matchup. They start in the standup and just look to land that early hit. Lawlor throws a bomb but eats air. They take it to the ground, both doing a great job of escaping each other’s attempts at a good hold with little success. Isaacs finally gets the waist and lands a pair of germans. Johnny is staggered but he fights off a third and blasts a knee to the head. Johnny with a short capo kick to a mute lock! Royce might tap? Reverse to a rear naked choke! Bloodsport out of it and floats over back to his feet. Rolling takedown to a cross arm breaker……Isaacs picks it up into a cloverleaf! He turns it in a lion tamer but that gives Johnny the way out. He goes for the leg but Royce spikes him with a stout piledriver. How is Johnny still alive?!? Royce is trying to choke him out but Bloodsport switches it, gator rolls to a guillotine choke and Royce has to tap! Some ridiculous spots here in the final minutes.
Winner: Johnny Bloodsport
Match 8: Jon Moxley vs Alex Coughlin
Coughlin is absolutely game for this clash, replacing a recently retired Davey Richards in this matchup. Good wrestling as Coughlin comes in and Moxley tries to rip his arm off. Alex tries to pick up Mox with a one arm bomb but Jon just tosses him out of the ring. Max tries to triangle him off the apron…Alex hits a power bomb to the edge of the ring! Big suplexes! Side choke! Mox goes for the hair and tries to guillotine Coughlin. This is like a hockey fight as they slug it out. Mox slamming a few headbutts. Dirty Deeds! Coughling is right up and throwing hands! Both guys are staggered but Coughlin looks rough. Moxley hits a flying knee and starts dropping bombs. Coughlin covers up but is still in it. Mosley gets the bulldog choke….Coughlin picks him up! Moxley gets slammed but won’t let go. Moxley holds the choke, winds up on top and Coughlin goes completely limp as the lights go out.
Winner: Jon Moxley
Main Event: Josh Barnett vs Timothy Thatcher
This is gonna be a war. Can Thatcher become the first man to defeat Josh Barnett at Bloodsport? They struggle in the early moments, Thatcher gets the wrist and take him down…..but Barnett quickly reverses the holds. These guys are at the top of their games. Explosive grappling chess match. Quick drop to a cross arm breaker from Thatcher. Josh pulls out to the leg and wants the knee bar. This is a Thatcher fight though and he starts to grind the Warmaster down and drop elbows and knees to the lower back and ribs. We get our first Tim Thatcher murder smile of the night. Surfboard stretch but Barnett hooks the ankle. Big toss and Barnett takes side control. Crowd is split…but that Thatcher side of the chant is LOUD. Thatcher gets the half crab but Josh rolls it to a kneebar. Tim switches out to a hammerlock but Barnett’s got good guard…..so Thatcher starts throwing knees to the ribs from side control. Barnett flips it over to a double wrist lock. Elbows to the side of the head! Thatcher trying to get out of this guillotine….float over to a wrist lock! Thatcher is grinning as he traps the head and arm! Barnett picks the ankle! Transition to a STF….no! Thatcher going for an armor……Barnett with a Saito suplex! Tim is stunned! Both guys exhausted, swinging with hard forearms and uppercuts! Josh stuffs a saito attempt….Thatcher hits an enziguri! Belly to back suplex! Tim’s going for the wrist lock again as the crowd fires up behind him. Barnett with an exploder out of nowhere. Powerbomb! Thatcher picks the arm into a fujiwara armor out of the bomb! Barnett tries to counter but Thatcher transitions to the kneebar…..JOSH BARNETT TAPS OUT!!!!! Thatcher did it!!!!
Winner: Timothy Thatcher
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