Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 8 Report: Suzuki vs. Dickinson, Moxley vs. Busick, Barnett vs. JONAH

Photo Courtesy: GCW

GCW presents Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 8

March 31st, 2022

By: John Siino

Fair Park in Dallas, TX

Commentary: Lenny Leonard & Rocky Romero

Quick Results

·       Masha Slamovich def. Janai Kai

·       Ninja Jack def. Yoya

·       Royce Isaacs def. Bad Dude Tito

·       Alex Coughlin def. SLADE

·       John Hennigan def. Simon Gotch

·       Marina Shafir def. Zeda Zhang

·       JR Kratos def. Timothy Thatcher

·       Yuya Uemura def. Mike Bailey

·       Josh Barnett def. JONAH

·       Jon Moxley def. Biff Busick – *RECOMMENDED MATCH OF THE SHOW*

·       Chris Dickinson def. Minoru Suzuki

Why This is Called Bloodsport

All competitors got introduced in the ring followed by a speech from Josh Barnett before he had to get in between Minoru Suzuki and Chris Dickinson to split them up.

Masha Slamovich (0-2) vs. Janai Kai (0-1)

Right away they start with strikes, before Slamovich brings Kai down with a rear-naked choke. They go back into standing position before Slamovich hits a Dragon Screw as they get on the mat and tie it up. Kai mounts and tries strikes to the back, but Slamovich reverses into a reverse chokehold and into a guillotine choke. Kai gets out and starts kicking away, but Slamovich turns it into a LeBell lock with hammer fists. Kai goes back to punches until they lock up their legs as Kai drops kicks down. Slamovich comes back with back elbows, but Kai escapes with a sidekick. Slamovich quickly comes back with a Northern Lights suplex into a cross-arm breaker, and Kai immediately taps out.

Winner: Masha Slamovich by submission at 4:41

Ninja Mack (0-0) vs. Yoya (1-1)

As Ninja Mack comes to the ring, he chooses to unmask himself as the crowd gives that a big reaction. Mack starts the match extending his hand, but Yoya takes him right down. They go back and forth trying to lock on, but Mack takes him down into an armbar. Yoya kicks his way out, as they go into standing and trade-off kicks and punches before Yoya takes Mack with a spinning kick and lands punches before Mack escapes out. Yoya tries another kick but puts on a chokehold as they spin out to the outside. Back inside, Mack throws him down and flips out, but Yoya quickly catches him in a triangle hold. Mack picks him up for a powerbomb, but Yoya jumps out and gets swept down and knocked to the outside. Back in, they exchange more kicks and punches, but Mack traps him and hits a couple of knee strikes until Yoya hits a suplex and puts on an ankle lock. Mack kicks out, but Yoya picks him up as they go crashing down on the outside. They quickly go back in, where Yoya puts on a single-leg crab. Mack rolls out and hits a Capoeira kick knocking Yoya out and ending the match.

Winner: Ninja Mack by referee stoppage at 6:06

Bad Dude Tito (1-3) vs. Royce Isaacs (1-3)

Right after Tito goes to take Isaacs down, he rolls out as they go back to standing stance. Tito tries a waist lock, but Isaacs catches the wrist and lands punches. Tito gets on Isaacs’ back, but Isaacs rolls over and lands hammer fists and into an ankle lock attempt. Tito tries to get up and lift Isaacs, but Isaacs traps him in a guillotine. Tito turns it into an ankle lock, but Isaacs knees his way out, knocking Tito to the outside. Back inside, Isaacs tosses him down, but they get up and exchange two German Suplexes each. As Isaacs tries a third, Tito rolls it into an ankle lock. Isaacs knocks him down with a T-Bone suplex into a Dragon Sleeper. As they get back up, Isaacs lands a couple of knees into a rolling guillotine as Tito submits.

Winner: Royce Isaacs by submission at 5:37

SLADE (0-0) vs. Alex Coughlin (1-3)

They get into each other’s faces before the bell rings, but as it does, they go right to the mat and trade-off strikes. They get back up as Coughlin hits a couple hard smacks into a waist lock, but SLADE kicks him down and lands a couple hard forearms. Coughlin is able to trap SLADE into a leg hold, then goes into smacks and punches. SLADE reverses out and puts on a chokehold until they get back up and trade real hard forearms. Coughlin ends that with a side suplex, but SLADE gets right up and hits a chokeslam. SLADE puts on a guillotine, but Coughlin turns it into a suplex followed by a rear-naked choke, taking him down to the mat until he passes out and the referee calls off the match.

Winner: Alex Coughlin by referee stoppage at 3:35

John Hennigan (0-0) vs. Simon Gotch (2-4)

Hennigan comes out to a great reaction, with the crowd chanting ‘Johnny Bloodsport’ as he makes his GCW debut. Right away they trade strikes until Hennigan tosses Gotch to the outside. Hennigan hits a leg sweep and mounts Gotch, but Gotch turns it around. Hennigan quickly escapes and puts on a kneebar, but Gotch kicks Hennigan’s ear and escapes out, and puts on head scissors. Hennigan drops elbows but Gotch challenges him to do more. Hennigan does a bit of Capoeira ending with a clothesline and into a chokehold. Gotch hits an elbow and a suplex and goes into knee strikes, but Hennigan kicks his way out and challenges Gotch to get up. Hennigan continues the kicks, mounts, and puts on a cross-arm breaker. Gotch rolls over and drops some elbows into a chin lock. They stand and trade forearms, with Hennigan rolling into a chokehold as the referee calls off the match.

Winner: John Hennigan by submission at 5:58

Zeda Zhang (1-0) vs. Marina Shafir (1-0)

This match stems from Bloodsport 7 where Zhang issued the challenge and commentary points out that their issues stem back from their days in WWE. They go for strikes right away, with Zhang escaping to the outside where Shafir follows and gets ambushed with punches by Zhang. They go back inside, where Shafir puts on a rear-naked choke, but Zhang escapes out. They stand and try kicks, but Zhang is able to take down Shafir and tries an ankle lock, but Shafir is able to escape out and lifts up Zhang for a scoop slam. Zhang gets out of a mount and gets on the back of Shafir, but Shafir tosses her off. Shafir gets on her back and tries to kick Zhang off. They go back to standing and trade punches, but Shafir trips Zhang down. Zhang goes back into a choke, but Shafir escapes out and tries a heel hook. They roll out, as Shafir puts on a sidelock with Zhang rolling her over a couple of times into a mount, but Shafir quickly escapes out and twists up Zhang. Shafir goes back into another body twist that she calls ‘Greedy’ and applies a wrist lock on top of it as the referee calls off the match.

Winner: Marina Shafir by submission at 8:04

JR Kratos (3-2) vs. Timothy Thatcher (1-2)

The crowd is fully behind Thatcher here as he makes his return to Bloodsport since his last fight in 2019, as well as his first match since leaving WWE. Kratos tosses Thatcher down right away, but Thatcher is able to get on top and drive a knee down. They go back to standing as the crowd chants ‘Fuck him up, Thatcher, fuck him up’. Kratos drives Thatcher down and stays on top with knees to the rib cage. Thatcher gets on top and rains down strikes before putting on a half Crab while kicking Kratos in the back. Thatcher transitions into a Death Lock as the crowd gets louder and louder every time Thatcher drops down. Thatcher tries a side suplex, but Kratos ends up falling on top of him and into a vertical suplex. Thatcher puts on a face lock, and into a headbutt that knocks Kratos straight down. As Kratos gets up, his forehead is busted open and he takes Thatcher down with a hard clothesline into a chokehold, but Thatcher escapes out and hits the side suplex. Thatcher punches Kratos into an armbar attempt, but Kratos rolls out and hits a piledriver and a Superman punch, knocking Thatcher out and ending the match.

Winner: JR Kratos by knockout at 9:23

The crowd isn’t happy at all at this result and chants ‘bullshit’, as Kratos flips them off and curses them out.

Mike Bailey (0-0) vs. Yuya Uemura (0-1)

The crowd is fully behind Mike Bailey as Speedball fits right in here in Bloodsport. They trade strikes before they take it to the mat, where Uemura tries to mount but Bailey fights right out. They go back to standing, where Bailey tries kicks, but Uemura catches and tosses him down and into a mount. Bailey gets up and lands a kick, but Uemura gets right on top of another mount and quickly lands some slaps. Uemura gets on his back and lures Bailey in and mounts on top trying to grab for a wristlock, but Bailey reverses and lands a flurry of elbows, as Uemura turns it around and does the same. Uemura twists into an armbar, but they both end up spilling to the outside. They go back in, and Bailey lands a flurry of kicks and knee strikes, but Uemura grabs him for an Air Raid Crash and into a Fujiwara armbar as the crowd gets hyped up. Out of nowhere, Uemura puts on a cross-arm breaker and Bailey taps out instantly.

Winner: Yuya Uemura by submission at 7:09

JONAH (0-0) vs. Josh Barnett (3-0-1)

JONAH made his GCW debut with this fight. Right away they tie up and try to take each other down, with JONAH getting the upper hand and landing on top driving his elbows down. Barnett escapes out and puts on a front choke hold. JONAH ends up back on top with a side headlock then gets on Barnett’s back and rolls over with a chokehold on. Barnett breaks out and lands sharp elbows into a cross-arm breaker. JONAH gets right out and into a double wristlock, but Barnett escapes as they go back to standing. Barnett lands a couple of kicks, but JONAH drops him right back down into another side headlock. Barnett hits a couple kicks, but JONAH drops him with a clothesline and then a senton, followed by strikes and another chokehold. Barnett grabs ahold of the arm, but they go back to standing where JONAH and Barnett trade-off heavy forearms, ending with a headbutt from JONAH. Barnett comes back up with a spinning wheel kick into a suplex and a heel hook. JONAH tries to fight it off but eventually taps out.

Winner: Josh Barnett by submission at 8:47

Biff Busick (0-0) vs. Jon Moxley (2-1)

Moxley is introduced as representing the Blackpool Combat Club and gets a big reaction, but they transition into a ‘both these guys’ chant. Moxley tries to take Busick right down to the mat and gets right on top and lands strikes to the neck of Busick and keeps him down. Busick reverses and puts on a front hold, but Moxley drops him right down as Busick keeps on the hold. Moxley twists him into a stretch and into Bryan Danielson’s kick your face in. Busick gets out but gets knocked down with a suplex, as Moxley goes into punches, elbows, and hits a knee knocking Busick to the outside. Moxley hits a couple knee strikes and a suplex on the outside as it’s shown that Busick’s forehead is busted wide open. Busick goes inside and hits a loud chop as Moxley eats it and asks for more. Busick lands a bunch, but Moxley kicks him down and puts on a Camel Clutch into a crossface chicken wing as Busick is bleeding profusely. Busick gets on top with strikes, but Moxley bites him off as the crowd starts chanting Busick’s theme song. Moxley lands chops and kicks into a wristlock, but Busick slaps his way out and tries a wrist lock. Moxley puts his middle finger up, so Busick hits a suplex followed by a European uppercut into a Bulldog choke. Moxley clotheslines his way out and rains down elbows, before trying an arm breaker. Moxley comes back with a half and half suplex, the Death Rider and into the Bulldog Choke again, but Busick doesn’t submit. Moxley hits a couple knees, as Busick puts his two middle fingers up and Moxley hits a running knee as the referee calls off the match.

Winner: Jon Moxley by knockout at 10:00

Minoru Suzuki (2-0-1) vs. Chris Dickinson (3-5)

This is a rematch from the last Bloodsport, where Suzuki was victorious. They take it to the mat right away, as Dickinson gets on top, but Suzuki is able to trap him in a rear-naked choke. Dickinson gets right out, as Suzuki slips to the outside. Dickinson goes right for a takedown and controls the wrist before Suzuki rolls out and does the same. Suzuki rolls out into an ankle lock, as Dickinson rolls and does the same. Suzuki ends up on top and tries to land strikes down, but Dickinson dodges and does the same. Dickinson smacks Suzuki hard, but Suzuki sits up and looks dead into the camera as the crowd chants ‘you fucked up’. They stand and trade forearms before Dickinson tries kicks but Suzuki drops him into a kneebar. Dickinson smacks his way out, but this gets Suzuki mad as they go into another chop and forearm exchange. Dickinson stops it with a kick down low to Suzuki, but Suzuki gets right back up. Dickinson stops him with an Enziguri, into a brainbuster, and starts raining down elbows until the referee calls it off.

Winner: Chris Dickinson by referee stoppage at 9:48

The crowd seems stunned and looks to boo but then ends up chanting for Dickinson. Suzuki grabs and throws a chair before heading to the back. Dickinson grabs the mic and questions the crowd booing him after whipping Suzuki’s ass and says if you don’t have any sympathy for him, he doesn’t give a flying fuck. And tells them to never forget and it doesn’t matter where you come from, when you step into the ring and those three letters say GCW you are in his house, and he is fucking back.

About John Siino 359 Articles
New York native and reporter at POST Wrestling. He is also Associate Producer at POISONRANA, co-host of 'Collision Course' and the host of the 'Shot in the Dark' podcast.