04/04/2019, New York
By Ciaran James@TheCiaranJames
For those not familiar with Bloodsport, there is a specific set of rules that each competitor must adhere to. Fights can be stopped via Submission, KO and DQ only. There are no ring ropes, when the match goes outside of the ring the match is stopped and the competitors must return.
Dominic Garrini def. Phil Baroni
It was great seeing Baroni play the heel in this environment, he came out in the tightest shorts imaginable, he played the cock and the audience treated him as such. Garrini tried to wrestle early on but Baroni was strong and withstood the early attempts, Baroni played to the crowd and even asked for a timeout, he again avoided Garrini and rocked his opponent with a huge right hand, he then mockingly went for a pin. Dominic got backed to his feet but was again floored with another hard punch. Baroni then intimidated the ref and went after him, again playing the prick, Garrini was given the 10 count, Baroni seemingly the winner. The referee then reversed the decision and awarded the win to Garrini.
J.R. Kratos def. Simon Grimm
This was the first hard hitting match of the evening; Grimm was visibly undersized against the larger Kratos. They mat wrestled early on to set the tone, they ended near the very edge of the ring so the ref called for them to break and restart. Grimm asked Kratos to hit him, he obliged but with a chop, Grimm kicked back with a jumping kick to the head which rocked Kratos. They went back and forth trading heavy blows and submissions, trying to work the advantage, Grim had a flurry of strikes before attempting a Gotch, Kratos powered out. The contest then belonged to Kratos, he hit Grimm with a powerbomb followed by a huge diving elbow to the head. Grimm was out KO’d, Kratos went in for more before the ref stopped the match.
Davey Boy Smith Jr def. Killer Kross
I now see why Impact have pushed Killer Kross, this guy is massively talented and looks the part. This was one of the best matches of the night, they traded kicks early on before going to the mat. They traded submissions before rolling to close to the outside, the ref asked them to restart. The audience seemed to be in favour of Smith Jr throughout, the match tempo increased as they traded stinging slaps, hard kicks, Smith the rocked Kross with some great looking Suplexes. After flooring Kross again Smith rolled into a Crossface for the submission win. This was a crowd-pleasing match, some great exchanges and moments.
Masashi Takeda def. Jonathan Gresham
For those who know Takeda only as a deathmatch wrestler he surprised fans here with some good mat wrestling, Gresham it seems is universally loved. The traded holds and mat wrestled early; this was the calm before the storm. The action went to ringside, where the referee attempted to get the competitors back in the ring, the two then exchanged hard slaps on the outside, Takeda went to use a chair but decided against it, he was now bleeding. The atmosphere was amazing as the audience were now hugely invested; Gresham targeted the bloody head of Takeda as the audience went wild. Takeda attempted a comeback but was blocked by multiple kicks from Gresham. Out of nowhere Takeda just floored Gresham with a huge knee, he then went to the ground and battered Gresham as they referee stopped the contest.
Chris Dickinson def. Andy Williams
These two came for a straight fight, they traded wild punches early on before Dickinson rocked Williams with some huge kicks. They traded Haymakers again as Williams seemingly got the upper hand with a huge powerbomb then mount. This was fast and furious from the start, Dickinson hit back with some stinging strkes, he seemed to be in control, Williams again hit a big Gutwrench Suplex. They went to the mat where Dickinson revered and took over, he locked in a choke as Williams tried to shake him off, he held on tight for the submission win.
Frank Mir def. Dan Severn
This was an historic moment for MMA and Wrestling fans, the match started off with Severn taking down Mir. Mir rolled out as both got up on their feet, they grappled again as Severn took down Mir, Frank countered and grabbed the leg of Severn. The counter didn’t seem to look that vicious but Severn quickly tapped to Mir. Just like that the contest was over, both men shook hands after the match.
Hideki Suzuki def. Timothy Thatcher
This was a close back and forth mat based match, they exchanged submissions and holds early on. Suzuki settled as he worked over Thatcher, he rained down blows hard before Thatcher retaliated with a hard slap. Hideki hit back with a Headbutt and kicks to the head, Thatcher hit back again but Suzuki just stamped on his head hard. Thatcher came back again with an Enziguri as they both fell to mat. Thatcher came into the contest and rocked Suzuki with an Uppercut and Gutwrench Suplex, Thatcher went for a submission but Suzuki powered out and hit a huge Backbreaker where Thatcher landed on his ribs. Hideki then hoisted up Thatcher and hit a huge throw for a KO victory.
Josh Barnett vs Minoru Suzuki – Draw
This contest set the bar for the rest of the weekend, for twenty-five minutes these two had arguably the best match on the card and my second favourite match of the year. This was a beautifully brutal contest, featuring a heavy hitting Barnett and a psychotic Suzuki, these two tore the house down. This match had a big fight feel; the atmosphere was electric when both stood opposite one another. The contest was cagey early on as both went through the feeling out stage, it really kicked into gear when Barnett rocked Suzuki with a hard Headlock Suplex. Minoru recovered and hit some vicious knees before rolling out of the ring and looking for a chair, he threw the referee to the floor and struck Barnett with the chair. They traded strikes as they goaded one another, the contest was a visual spectacle and treat for all viewers. `The time counted down as they continued trading blows, the match came to a finish. The audience and competitors went beyond the allotted time and continued the fight. This was destined to be a draw, both were equally good even if Minoru was the crowd favourite, the audience gave both a standing ovation as the show ended.
