Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport Results
Jersey City, NJ
Click Here: UK soccer tracksuitApril 4, 2019
For those unfamiliar with the GCW Bloodsport concept, first run by Matt Riddle during last year’s WrestleMania weekend, it’s a hybrid of professional wrestling and MMA where there are no ropes and no pinfalls. You must win in the ring via submission or knock-out.
(1) DOMINIC GARRINA def. PHIL BARONI via referee reversal
Baroni was a jackass the whole time, doing crotch chops before the match and obviously not taking his opponent or the fans (who chanted “Phil Jabroni”) seriously. Garrini tried to wrestle him down a bit early on and go for submissions, but Baroni got him in the eyes and completely dominated the rest of the “action”, doing a mock pin and putting his hands on the referee. Garrini couldn’t make the 10-count giving Boroni the win via knock-out (apparently), but the referee decided to reverse his decision.
(2) J.R. KRATOS def. SIMON GRIMM via KO
Lots of grappling here from start to finish. Kratos had a massive size advantage and definitely used it with chokeholds and submissions, nearly putting Grimm to sleep on multiple occasions. Grimm fought back with stiff shots to the head and ears, really laying in his hits, and actually lifted Kratos up out of a choke and slammed him down hard on the mat. Grimm rolled into an armbar but couldn’t get all of it, and Kratos managed to wriggle free enough to connect with a BRUTAL right hand straight to the face, knocking his opponent out cold. This one’s over. Grimm couldn’t even stand up after the match!
(3) DAVEY BOY SMITH JR. def. KILLER KROSS via submission
This was a tremendous, slow-paced brawl. They beat the absolute hell out of each other with numerous blows and huge suplexes, in between submission trades that really could have ended the match at any point. It looked like Davey Boy had it won about halfway through with the armbar locked in, but Kross rolled over the edge of the ring and the referee made him break the hold — that’s apparently a rule now. Davey played it off great though, getting in Kross’ face and basically saying “I made you tap, I’ll do it again!” And then he did. Awesome fight.
(4) MESASHI TAKEDA def. JONATHAN GRESHAM via TKO
Things started out cordial enough, with both guys trading holds and looking for openings. Takeda locked in a body submission but Gresham fell out of the ring and they started trading blows on the floor. At some point Takeda got busted open legitimately above his left eye, and it’s like he just became a mythological creature of violence and carnage. He started beating the hell out of Gresham with dozens and dozens of slaps and chaps, which Gresham threw back at him to the best of his ability. The Japanese death match legend simply had more stamina, despite getting punched in his bleeding eye multiple times, and the referee was forced to stop the match. THIS WAS F***ING AWESOME!
(5) CHRIS DICKINSON def. ANDY WILLIAMS via submission
Rapid strikes and kicks from both men as soon as the bell sounded. The crowd came unglued. Williams actually hit a freaking powerbomb and immediately went back to throwing rights and lefts. It seemed like he gassed out not long after that, because they immediately slowed things down. After a few minutes of struggling for positioning on the mat, Willams hoisted him up again for a huge suplex, but Dickinson caught him with a submission out of nowhere to win.
(6) FRANK MIR def. DAN SEVERN via submission
Severn got a standing ovation from everyone in the building and a huge “BEAST!” chant. Phil Baroni was ringside for Mir for some reason and was acting like a damn clown again. I walked out of the room for literally 90 seconds and it was over. Mir got on the mic and called out Brock Lesnar. Baroni was celebrating with him to the back, but it looked more like he just wouldn’t leave Mir the hell alone.
(7) HIDEKI SUZUKI def. TIMOTHY THATCHER via TKO
This was a slow-paced grappling exchange with some huge blows from Suzuki that nearly knocked his opponent silly throughout the match. Longest thing of the night so far. Commentary was odd because they were trying to say that Thatcher was just a pure athlete and was there to compete for himself, but they kept reiterating that they didn’t care about the fans, and how it didn’t matter if the fans were there or not. Cool, I guess… In the end Thatcher whiffed an enzuigiri and some slow strikes, and Suzuki made him pay for his mistakes with brutal blows until the referee called for it.
(8) MINORU SUZUKI and JOSH BARNETT fought to a time limit draw in OT.
A test of strength started this one out as they slowly, gradually wore each other down over the course of several minutes. You want to find out what happens when two absolute, legitimate badasses refuse to tap out no matter what submissions they find themselves trapped in? You’ve come to the right place. At one point Barnett had an armbar applied and screamed “TAP OUT!”, to which Suzuki replied by screaming “NEVER!” Eventually they gave up and just started beating the hell out of each other with wild rights and lefts, followed by some brutal knee strikes. Barnett took it back to the mat and applied a chokehold, Suzuki nearly passed out, but the fans willed him back into the action and he managed to roll out of the ring to safety.
Minoru baited his opponent outside then punched the referee square in the face, allowing him to hit Barnett with a steel chair — BUT BARNETT NO-SOLD THE CHAIR AND KICKED HIS HEAD INTO THE RING POST! The former UFC icon threw his opponent back into the ring and connected with a huge overhead suplex, as the referee crawled back in. As they called for the 3-minute warning both guys traded punches back and forth. Suzuki nearly spilled to the outside, but caught himself and then flashed the crowd a devilish grin. This dude is ENJOYING the pain. He fired back with a sickening elbow strike. Barnett fired back with an even bigger elbow strike. It’s headbutt time! One minute remaining. The headbutts continue. Wild rights and lefts as the crowd comes unglued. 30 seconds. 10..9…8… The two continued throwing strikes with what little energy they had left, barely able to stand, as the match expired.
The crowd chanted “FIVE MORE MINUTES!” and both guys agreed to it! Barnett ducked a wild swing and connected with a huge German suplex. He applied a choke hold and it looked to be over, but Suzuki bit his arm to get out of the hold! He shoved his opponent and screamed “I AM A MAN! YOU ARE A–” but Barnett cut him off screaming at him in Japanese. The two immediately went back and forth with wild rights and lefts as the crowd went insane. Minoru applied a crazy submission, but somehow Barnett got free. The bell rings again…
The crowd chanted “LET THEM FIGHT!” as both men laid on the mat. The announcer made it official — the two have fought to a time limit draw. The crowd originally booed the decision, but then gave both men a standing ovation when they realized they weren’t going to get another five minutes.