For the first time ever, a WWE wrestler will appear at Josh Barnett's Bloodsport as Barnett disciple Shayna Baszler will make her show debut in Philadelphia Thursday.
Baszler will have tough competition as she battles former GCW Champion and former TNA title holder Masha Slamovich.
That won't be the only debut at Bloodsport X as multi-promotion champion Nic Nemeth makes his first walk into the unique Bloodsport ring against "Speedball" Mike Bailey.
Barnett himself will be in action and looking to rebound from his first loss as he challenges Johnny (Morrison) Bloodsport.
The Triller+ streaming special will also see a four-woman, one-night tournament as Marina Shafir, Lindsay Snow, Lady Frost and Janai Kai will battle.
Timothy Thatcher and Minoru Suzuki will also compete in separate bouts.
Per event rules, matches can only end via knockout or submission in a ring that has no ropes with a mat that pays homage to the classic movie of the same name.
The Philadelphia venue is packed and lively. The ring announcer ran down the Bloodsport rules before introducing all of today’s fighters as each came to the ring. Charlie Dempsey from NXT came out with the announced entrants. He wasn’t previously announced. Big “BLOODSPORT” chant after everyone came out.
The venue is packed and lively. The ring announcer ran down the Bloodsport rules before introducing all of today’s fighters as each came to the ring. Charlie Dempsey from NXT came out with the announced entrants. He wasn’t previously announced. Big “BLOODSPORT” chant after everyone came out.
Viktor Benjamin vs Akira Way
Big chants for Akira at the start. The two got into it quickly and exchanged shots, palm strikes and knees. Akira Way was able to throw Benjamin but Benjamin was back up immediately. Akira landed a spinebuster but Benjamin transitioned into an achilles hold quickly. He put Akira down with a nice single-arm suplex. Akira countered on the ground and threw some elbows; Benjamin quickly countered to knee-on-belly position facing away from Akira and started peppering him with jabs to the solar plexus. Benjamin landed elbows, straight punches, roundhouse kicks. Akira fought back with headbutts. Benjamin kept throwing heavy kicks until Akira caught one and dragon screw legwhipp’d him to the mat before throwing Benjamin once more with a German suplex.
The crowd was pretty pro-Akira. He had Benjamin locked in a choke sleeper for a bit until Benjamin powered out and delivered a picture-perfect round kick to Akira’s head. Akira didn’t go down and flipped off “The Savage Gentleman.” He then went for a Pelé kick but “didn’t get all of it,” as is the parlance. Akira did a pretty cool looking double-wristlock suplex and held onto the submission after the two hit the mat. The crowd started chanting “Tap! Tap! Tap!” until Benjamin rolled to the floor, breaking the hold. Smart. He then hoisted Akira up into a vertical suplex hold and then dropped him on the concrete floor. Fans booed. Benjamin then nailed Akira with a 540 type kick to the face, spot on, TKO’ing Akira Way and picking up the win. Benjamin’s kicks are super accurate and fun to watch.
The crowd lovingly began chanting “F— that guy!” after the bout. Akira Way flipped Benjamin off before exiting.
Winner: Viktor Benjamin via TKO (ref stoppage, kick)
Nic Nemeth vs “Speedball” Mike Bailey
Both Bailey and Nemeth sounded to have a lot of good will from the crowd before things started. Bailey got into Nemeth's face during introductions. Wrestling vs. Tae Kwon Do is the loose story here; Nemeth has a collegiate wrestling background, Bailey a TKD expert.
Bailey looked to set up a triangle choke but Nemeth fought it off with jabs to the ribcage. Nemeth was able to maneuver around from the top position as Bailey attacked from his back. Bailey threw kicks and Nemeth went in for shots. Nemeth grabbed a double leg and dumped Bailey out onto the floor.
Back in the ring, Bailey threw a kick, but Nemeth caught it and took him down with another double leg. Bailey went to the floor again. Was he playing possum? Then, back in the ring, Nemeth went in for another double leg takedown, but he ran into a foot to the face from Bailey out of nowhere. The crowd stood up. Bailey quickly transitioned into an armbar but couldn't lock it in all the way. Bailey let go of the hold, then went for a standing moonsault double knee-drop, but missed. Nemeth immediately went in for a rear naked choke and locked it in. Bailey tried walking to the ring post and grabbing onto it, but since there isn’t a proper rope break in Bloodsport, Nemeth didn’t have to break the hold. Instead, though, Nemeth let go for a split second, then spiked him backwards with the Zig Zag and locked the sleeper back on once Bailey was back to the mat. Bailey was out and the ref called the match. The pro-”Speedball” crowd booed, but then cheered Nemeth. The two shook hands afterwards.
Winner: Nic Nemeth via TKO (rear naked choke)
They aired a custom video package for the four way women’s tournament today. Janai Kai, Marina Shaffir, Lady Frost and Lindsay Snow all took part.
Women’s Tournament: Opening Round
Lindsay Snow vs Lady Frost
Lindsay Snow came out to that Vanessa Carlton song which is hilarious. Her and Lady Snow traded low kicks up front. Frost caught Snow with a kick that sent Snow to the floor. Back in the ring, Snow took Frost down with a fireman’s carry then moved to an armbar. Frost countered from that into a RNC. Snow stood up and slammed Frost down to break the hold, then pounced on her and threw a flurry of shots before transitioning into a heel hook and Lady Frost tapped quickly. Lindsay Snow advances in the Women's Tournament.
Women's Tournament: Opening Round
Winner: Lindsay Snow via submission
Janai Kai vs Marina Shaffir
Like Nic Nemeth vs. Mike Bailey, this was a grappler vs. striker type of bout. Shaffir landed a trip early, then a head-and-arm throw soon after. Janai Kai almost landed an up-kick which Shaffir dodged. Kai would then land a middle kick, then a high right roundhouse that sent Shaffir to the canvas. Kai smelled blood and went right in for knees but Shaffir weathered the storm. Kai blasted her with another kick to the face, this time a running straight. Shaffir again survived and would catch Kai with a mule kick.
Kai unleashed a number of kicks and palm strikes and Shaffir ate all of them without a problem while she stared into Kai's soul. Kai went for another high kick, but this time Shaffir caught it, dropped it, quickly caught Kai's arm put her down hard with a throw. "The Problem" then locked on Mother's Milk and tapped Kai out. Good match. Shaffir advances in the tournament.
Winner: Marina Shaffir via submission
Charlie Dempsey vs Matt Makowski
"Weapon X" Matt Makowski caught Dempsey with a low kick early on. Dempsey with a beautiful cradle suplex early. BJJ black belt Makowski was on top in mount position soon after, though Dempsey was able to roll Makowski over with a double-wrist lock. They went back and forth at a pretty rapid pace.
Makowski later caught Dempsey with a rolling savate kick out of nowhere, then threw Dempsey with a high butterfly suplex that he turned into an armbar on the way down to the mat. Nice.
Dempsey bullied his way into top position, cranking down on Makowski's wrist while shoving the blade of his forearm into Makowski's face. Always nasty. There were "BLOOD-SPORT!" chants soon after. Dempsey moved into a Fujiwara armbar; when Makowski tried escaping, Dempsey would transition into a straight armbar. Makowski would strike his way out of the hold. Dempsey locked in a standing ankle lock, but Makowski reveresed that beautifully and caught Dempsey in the RNC. "Tap! Tap! Tap!" Dempsey reversed with a cravat takeover. Makowski moved back to the armbar.
Makowski landed a spinning back elbow and an enzuigiri kick. Dempsey responded with a stiff European uppercut followed by a German suplex hold and then double-wrist lock. Makowski tapped. This was the best match on the show so far, for sure.
Winner: Charlie Dempsey via submission
Takuya Nomura vs Fuminori Abe
These two are a tag team known as Astronauts in Japan. They're often seen working companies like Big Japan Pro Wrestling, where they were tag champions, and where Nomura was BJW Strong Heavyweight Champion. They've both been wrestling for under ten years and are better than most on the market today, without exaggeration. And they've been that good for a while now. Fun fact: Abe was trained by Munenori Sawa and had 220 matches in 2023.
They went hold for hold at the top of the match, trading back and forth. Abe landed a hard headbutt. They then started slapping each other really, really hard. Abe did the Rob Van Dam “pick a hand” spot and smacked Nomura.
Nomura later unleashed a cornucopia of lowkicks against Abe’s back before locking him in a straight ankle lock. How did Abe break the hold? A hard closed-fist punch to the head.
We saw blood running from Nomura’s head at this point. He’d catch Abe in a cradle suplex and launch him across the ring. Nomura locked in an abdominal stretch, but Abe turned that into an octopus hold.
Abe exploded with a beautiful moonsaulting dropkick. He went for a wind-up punch, but Nomura caught him with two quick palm strikes and a release German suplex. Abe was up immediately and caught Nomura with the wind-up punch. Nomura answered with a headbutt; Abe answered with a stiff one of his own. Wow. The crowd was on their feet and chanting from here.
They were back on their feet trading more shots, this time elbows. Abe caught Nomura with a high kick behind the ear, then a rough knee strike. Nomura stood up and caught Abe with a massive lariat. German suplex from Nomura before standing Abe up and drilling him this time with a dragon suplex.
Nomura cinched in a single-leg crab, but Abe countered that with a straight ankle lock. Nomura tried slapping his way out of the hold, but Abe held on. It wasn’t until Nomura conked him with a headbutt that he broke the hold. Abe was almost knocked out. Nomura slapped on a sleeper until the ref called the match as Fuminori Abe was eventually out. Killer fight. A “THAT WAS AWESOME!” chant broke out afterwards.
Winner: Takuya Nomura via TKO
Lou Nixon vs Erik Hammer
Bloodsport alumni Erik Hammer scored an early takedown and threw hard shots before Nixon could get back to his feet. Nixon landed a clean knee to the face that dazed Hammer.
Hammer aimed to slow the pace and took Nixon back down to the mat. Neither could grab a leg lock so both were back to their feet again. Hammer with a seoinage throw. Nixon later moved into a head-and-arm lock scarf hold.
Hammer put Nixon down hard with a German suplex and then applied a wrist lock for the tap. I don’t think this was clear to those in the audience or to the commentators and the crowd started booing.
Winner: Erik Hammer via submission
Royce Isaacs vs Minoru Suzuki
Big “Kaze Ni Nare” singalong before the bell. Both Isaacs and Suzuki are Bloodsport alumni and have helped define what the brand is since Barnett took over. Isaacs is part of the West Coast Wrecking Crew with Jorel Nelson in NJPW, which is where he and Suzuki have crossed paths in the past.
They had a good exchange at the top. When Isaacs was back to his feet, Suzuki flashed that devious smile and invited Isaacs back to the mat to grapple some more. Isaacs took him up on the offer and Suzuki locked him in an armbar and slid to the floor to yank on Isaac’s arm for extra leverage. Suzuki broke the hold, then mosied around ringside, sometimes rolling back into the ring to break the ref’s count. The crowd loved this. Suzuki sat himself down on a row of females in front and posed. Fan service is a wonderful thing and Suzuki is so damn good at it.
The two fought for ankle locks and heel hooks. On their feet, they started trading big elbows. Suzuki chuckled as they hurt each other. Suzuki blasted Isaacs with an elbow that echoed inside the venue. The crowd reacted accordingly with gasps. Isaacs was out for a second, then back in the game in an instant, catching Suzuki with a big pump kick, then a German-to-Half-Nelson suplex. Woah.
Isaacs went for a double-pump power bomb, but Suzuki swiveled out of it and locked in a rear naked choke before finally putting Isaacs out with a Gotch-Syle Piledriver for the TKO win.
This was another great fight, and one that really defines what Bloodsport is all about. It was extra satisfying for those who have been watching Bloodsport since the beginning.
Suzuki offered a handshake, and when Isaacs went to shake, Suzuki pulled it back and dipped out of the ring.
Winner: Minoru Suzuki
Timothy Thatcher vs Axel Tischer
Timothy Thatcher is the only Bloodsport fighter to hold a win over Josh Barnett, which he picked up last year in Los Angeles. Axel Tischer can be seen in Germany’s wXw, which was Thatcher’s old stomping ground back in the day.
The two looked evenly matched as they pummeled for leglocks on the canvas. Thatcher went Snakepit-style and scraped his wrist bone against Tischer’s face, though Tischer maintained his composure and held control. He caught Thatcher with an upkick when Thatcher stood up and went for a standing ankle lock.
Tischer pounced on Thatcher later with a sliding tackle and proceed to shower him with punches. Thatcher later threw a few hard penalty kicks against Tischer’s back. This was a painful looking match.
Tischer locked in a deep hammerlock and threw straight elbows onto Thatcher, who’d then counter and lock Tischer into a high angle single-leg crab before switching to a bow-and-arrow lock. Tischer escaped with a wild forearm to break the hold.
Tischer used a few German suplexes on Thatcher, but Thatcher wouldn’t stay down. They then slapped each other a LOT. Tischer grabbed Thatcher and spiked him with a brainbuster.
When Tischer looked to go in for the kill with another brainbuster, Thatcher exploded out of it and locked in the Fujiwara armbar for a quick tap out. Thatcher picks up another Bloodsport win.
Winner: Timothy Thatcher via submission
Shayna Baszler vs Masha Slamovich
Masha Slamovich came to the ring with Jordynne Grace in her corner, while Shayna Baszler entered alongside her WWE tag team partner, Zoey Starks. Baszler wore her gi top and black belt to the ring. The crowd chanted "HO-LY SH*T!" before things kicked off. They were on their feet as the two had a staredown during the introductions.
The crowd was pro-Masha and anti-Shayna, or maybe, rather, pro-GCW and anti-WWE. Baszler wailed Slamovich and walked to her corner as the match was about to start. Awesome.
They went to the canvas quickly for a high-speed roll. They'd start to fight for leglocks. They fought to a stalemate and crowd started to sound split between the two.
Watching Shayna Baszler in this setting, it is obvious this is where she shines. Not just at Bloodsport, but in a pure pro wrestling situation like this. She's a natural and adds so much credibility to what's going on.
From back control, Baszler started peppering Slamovich with jabs to the ribcage. Slamovich was back up with a flurry of strikes before landing a flying armbar.
Baszler wrestled back into control and worked the armbar. When she almost had it locked in, Slamovich stacked her and reversed the attempt. The pro-Masha supporters were loud here.
The two traded suplexes. Slamovich had an armbar on, but Baszler slipped out and put her in the rear naked choke with her back hooks in. The crowd booed. Slamovich reversed it, then drilled Baszler with an amazing pump-handle sleeper suplex, then went back to the same RNC hold.
Baszler escaped and put Slamovich in an ankle lock, but Slamovich tried upkicking her way out of the hold. Baszler then released the hold and exploded with a flurry a stomps so brutal that the referee had to dive in and stop the match. Baszler wins via TKO. The crowd ERUPTED with boos and a "F*CK YOU, SHAYNA!" chant.
Winner: Shayna Baszler