Bloodsport XI: Barnett is in the Hurt Business

Thomas Starr

MVP confronts Josh Barnett. X photo
MVP confronts Josh Barnett. X photo

Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport live in Brooklyn, New York. If you are not familiar with these shows, there are no ring ropes, and you can only win by knockout or submission. While this is a worked show, the attempt is to make the matches look as realistic as possible. In fact, at the best moments of these shows it is hard to tell when the real fight ends, and the work begins. Think RINGS, Pancrase or Shooto from the late eighties early nineties.

Several WWE contracted talent are on the show. I would be curious to know what WWE’s goal is for allowing their talent on these shows. Are they thinking the way New Japan did by sending their talent to experience unique styles?

The hard camera is in a weird location. It is at a 45-degree angle, so you look like you are watching the show from a balcony. That may in fact be the case. There are also handhelds. They are in an intimate concert venue. They have put seats on the stage and on two sides of the ring. The ring is located where you would have a crowd standing.

Interesting note, Shayna Baszler and Miyu Yamashita is listed as the main event.

Baszler does a quick promo, which you are seeing from above her, so she is not looking toward the camera. She says this is pro wrestling as it should be.

Brian Johnson vs. Heddi Karaoui

There is balcony seating, but the way they are shooting it the crowd looks small. Not sure of attendance, because you can only see 100-200 people.

Karaoui looks in his element here. Johnson not so much. Karaoui is a catch wrestling coach. Karaoui had some cool submission attempts. Johnson threw some terrible looking strikes. Johnson lost and refused to shake hands with Karaoui which angered the crowd.

Winner: Heddi Karaoui

Julius Creed vs. Matt Makowski

These two have legitimate backgrounds. Julius Creed, born Jacob Kasper, is a decorated amateur wrestler who trained to try to make the Olympics in 2016. Makowski has an MMA background as well as being an experienced pro wrestler. He fought for Bellator and several smaller promotions.

They grappled quite a bit but mixed in throws and suplexes. Julius finally got angry and dropped some good-looking forearms. He slammed Makowski and rained blows on him for the stoppage. Short, but well executed.

Winner: Julius Creed

Masha Slamovich vs. Jody Threat

Jody Threat does her Ultimate Warrior imitation by running out and shaking ridiculously. She circled the ring and looked silly. Slamovich has competed several times for Bloodsport, but Threat is a newbie.

As goofy as she looked coming out, Threat appears comfortable with the style. They have done an excellent job of mixing in throws and suplexes between stretches of grappling. Masha suplexed Threat then hit the running knee for the stoppage win. Good match.

Winner: Masha Slamovich

They go to a replay of GCW’s So High event from July 19th. Immediately, one of the wrestlers is thrown out on top of an older lady. Nice. Great highlight for the attorneys. Jinder Mahal debuted at the end.

Charlie Dempsey vs. Royce Isaacs

This was the best match so far. Dempsey is built for this style, but Isaacs has a lot of experience and it showed here. They kept it all on the ground early and it was never boring. Dempsey started using some throws and suplexes as they picked it up. The striking looked good as well. After a series of submission attempts from Dempsey, Isaacs reserved out. He also hit some throws and suplexes. Isaacs got the surprise victory with the submission.

Winner: Royce Isaacs

Mike Bailey vs. Akira

Akira has been on several of these shows including the Bloodsport Bushido show. The announcers always talk about how tough he is because he gets hit with light tubes and goes through tables. Okay.

Some of the worst strikes you will see anywhere. The announcer keeps saying it is a “curtain sellout” meaning the locker room all wants to see this. These two keep throwing slaps that hit each other’s arms. Akira threw in some terrible kicks as well.

Akira is bleeding. He connected on a headbutt to Bailey’s cheek? I am not sure. It might just be from all the scar tissue on his brow from blading over and over. Bailey hit a nice-looking kick to win. We continue to hear how tough Akira is.

With all due respect, getting hit with chairs or light tubes does not make you tough.

Winner: Mike Bailey

More GCW highlights with Jinder Mahal. Matt Cardona is aligned with him. They drop a bunch of F bombs. Completely unnecessary, but we must pollute the show. I cannot begin to describe what happened, but there were a bunch of non-descript guys running in and out. Jinder is in tremendous shape and then there is Joey Janella next to him who, I will be kind, is not. Just garbage.

Brutus Creed vs. Tom Lawlor

Lawlor comes out with a Red, White, and Blue American Flag outfit including a cowboy hat. He has “Living in America” as his entrance theme. This is out of place on this show, but then again, we just had GCW highlights.

Brutus is Drew Kasper, Julius’s legit brother. He is the bigger of the two Creed Brothers. Brutus threw Lawlor around early on. He clobbered him too. The announcer compared Brutus to Gary Albright. That is a deep cut.

I do not know what he was trying to do, but Brutus tried to come off the ring posts, which do not have ring ropes, and fell on his butt. Lawlor caught him in a choke to save it, but it was hilarious.

Not as good as Julius’s match. It slowed down in the second half. Brutus did a Doctor Bomb for the win.

Winner: Brutus Creed

Mike Santana vs. Homicide

They posted a great hype video for this match, so I was looking forward to this as much as any match on the card. Santana comes out and goes into the crowd. Nice pop.

The crowd is chanting “Homicide” as he comes out. I am interested to see how they do in this environment. A “GCW” chant was followed by an “LAX” chant. It is not a wrestling show without annoying chants.

Homicide is competing in t-shirt and bandana. Someone in the crowd, throughout the show, has been yelling the F word. F you! F him up. Or he has been yelling that he wants to see “bone” meaning he wants to see a limb broken. The guy is sitting next to kids too. Way to make a spectacle of yourself, friend.

Second match of the night with the trading slaps from your knees spot. That and the forearms are two pet peeves of mine. Santana did a back roll into a cutter but grabbed at the wrong side and Homicide had to grab his arms to take it. Did not look good. The crowd still chanted “This is Awesome!” I politely disagree.

Homicide applied a terrible looking STF where he did not have the choke on, but Santana “passed out” from a choke from the Invisible Man. Homicide then inexplicably tried to STF the referee. What was that all about? Bad, bad match.

Winner: Homicide

More GCW highlights. The first thing we show is middle fingers. Classy. Lots of stupid bumps and AEW contracted wrestlers are highlighted. Then an ad for their next show and I kid you not, Violent J of the Insane Clown Posse is front and center.

Josh Barnett vs. Bad Dude Tito

Barnett is not even in the co-main. Interesting. He is usually in the main event. They start off on the ground, a theme throughout the show. Barnett eventually threw Tito out of the ring onto the floor.

Tito threw some bad looking elbows that were clearly hitting the mat behind Barnett’s head, but the announcers, instead of saying they were being blocked, acted like they were landing.

Barnett hit a spinning heel kick and went to rain down punches, but the ref stopped it. An okay match. The heel kick looked like it went over Tito’s head and the ref stoppage was anticlimactic.

Winner: Josh Barnett

MVP makes a surprise appearance after the match. MVP says he trained with Barnett and recently got his black belt. He says his contract is up soon and challenges Barnett for a match. Barnett accepts. They teased the Hurt Business showing up.

More GCW highlights. It is the same highlights of Jinder Mahal showing up. Effy says Jinder attacked him because he, Effy, got Jarrett and Cardona over. Okay, Effy.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Josh Woods

Thatcher is the prototype for this style. He knows how to grapple and make it interesting. Plus, he mixes in strikes and throws to break up the action.

I cannot describe how annoying this crowd is. There are several fans trying to get over by yelling things or trying to start chants. Thatcher at one point tried for a choke but was too high on Woods’s back. Woods shook him off his back, which, if you have ever seen MMA, happens frequently. Instead, they chanted “That’s not PG.” Ugh.

The two men started fighting on the floor including some bad looking forearms. Both were counted out. Thatcher and Woods then shoved each other afterwards. That was lame.

Double count out

Yes, once again it is GCW highlight time. Some guy told the crowd “We are in Hammerstein!” The crowd, in Hammerstein, needed to be told they were in Hammerstein? Interesting. Did they get lost or something?

Shayna Baszler vs. Miyu Yamashita

“F— her up, Miyu!” chants. Then the dueling “Let’s go Shayna, Let’s go Miyu” chants. Irritating. Miyu had the Million Dollar Dream on Shayna and the announcer said, “Eat it, Ted!” What?

Late in the match, they did the I kick you, you kick me spot. Sometimes it is I punch you, you punch me. Or even better, I forearm your shoulder, you forearm my shoulder. Just depends on the day of the week.

They did good throws and suplexes late. Shayna reversed a kick into a Tombstone Piledriver for the win. Now we have a “This is wrestling!” chant. A “GCW” chant. Finally, a “Bloodsport” chant. I am glad the show is over, so I do not have to hear these chants anymore.

Winner: Shayna Baszler

https://twitter.com/PuroresuFlow/status/1817699596610740482

Shayna grabs the mic and praises Barnett who trained her. She puts over the wrestlers and the show and says whenever Bloodsport is in your town “we’re throwing down.” Sounds like she will be on more shows.

Overall, I enjoyed the show. Julius Creed looked great and his brother was okay. They both looked better in this environment than they do in WWE. Dempsey vs. Isaacs was the best match. I would suggest avoiding the Homicide vs. Santana match, though. Bailey vs. Akira too. Everything else was good. I wish they had less matches on these shows. It only lasted two and a half hours, so it was not as bad as Bloodsport Bushido, but this style does get repetitive after a while especially since some of the participants are not able to make this style work.

TOP PHOTO: MVP confronts Josh Barnett. X photo

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