By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
We are looking for reports on all WWE, AEW, NXT, TNA, GCW, MLW, and other notable live events or television tapings. If you attend a show, you are encouraged to send a report or even basic results to dotnetjason@gmail.com
GCW “Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIV”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
August 2, 2025, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at Williams Center
Bloodsport has no ropes and no pinfalls. So, matches are won by knockout or submission. They are usually short and rather violent, with finishes coming out of nowhere, and as authentic-looking of worked matches as possible. I always say I wouldn’t watch this as a week-in, week-out promotion, but it’s a fun change of pace three or so times a year. Also, I love that in recent editions, we’ve had wrestlers from WWE/NXT, MLW, and AEW/ROH all participating, which I just think is really cool.
* As is the tradition here, each fighter was introduced, and they all stood in the ring. Masha Slamovich got on the mic and said, “Bloodsport is for the elite, and blood sport is for real fighters.” She then turned to Natalaya and vowed she was going to kick her ass! This is the same venue where GCW held three(!!!) shows on Friday, and like the mid-evening show Friday, it is absolutely packed with about 500 in attendance. Lighting is good. Emil Jay and promoter Brett Lauderdale provided commentary.
1. Matt Mako (2-4) vs. Ray Jaz (0-0). Mako notably lost to Charlie Dempsey in the past. (And I love that we have those stats on the screen.) You may recall that Jaz had a very brief run in TNA last year as part of a new FBI faction, and he’s been a regular in Wrestling Open since its inception, and I believe he does have a legit amateur wrestling background. Mako has done shootfighting before as well. Jaz got an amateur-style takedown and tied up Matt’s legs. Jaz ducked a hard spin kick.
Matt hit a suplex at 2:00 and went for a cross-armbreaker. He hit a running knee and went back to the cross-armbreaker. Jaz stood up and hit a powerbomb. Matt hit a spear. Jaz hit an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Jaz went to an Angle-style ankle lock. Matt hit a spin kick, and he locked on the cross-armbreaker again, and Jaz tapped out. I liked that. It was intense and felt really believable. (I like how Emil Jay also reads the time length of the match, again giving it an authentic vibe.”
Matt Mako defeated Ray Jaz at 5:06.
* Footage aired of Pete Dunne vs. Timothy Thatcher from April 17 during WrestleMania weekend in Las Vegas.
2. Janai Kai (0-3) vs. Jordan Blade (0-1). I’ve seen “the submission sniper” Jordan Blade five to 10 times, and she’s always struck me as someone who also has an amateur wrestling background. They immediately tied up their legs on the mat. They separated, got up, and Kai unloaded a series of stiff kicks. Blade picked her up and slammed Kai to the mat. Blade hit a suplex; Kai kipped up, nailed a superkick to the skull, and Blade was knocked out! The crowd loved this, chanting, “holy shit!” That was sharp and short. They hugged afterward.
Janai Kai defeated Jordan Blade at 2:17.
* Matt Mako joined Emil Jay on commentary.
3. Nick Comoroto (0-0) vs. Simon Gotch (2-4). Intriguing to see Comoroto here, as I guess I never thought of him as a shoot/legit fighter. Obviously, he has quite the size (listed at 280 pounds!) and the reach advantage on the former NXT Vaudevillain. Comoroto came out to Bon Jovi’s “Living On A Prayer” and he wore Team USA pants (did he steal those from Lex Luger?). The crowd decided they were going to keep singing, long after the music had stopped. Nick tossed him to the mat. Simon applied an ankle lock. Nick hit a release German Suplex at 1:30. Emil ran through Comoroto’s background, which does include an amateur run. Nick applied a rear-naked choke on the mat. We got a 5:00 call as they stayed locked up on the mat. Simon went to a cross-armbreaker but Nick fought free. Simon switched to a knee bar, and Comoroto tapped out.
Simon Gotch defeated Nick Comoroto at 6:43.
* Footage aired of Charlie Dempsey’s win in Las Vegas in April.
4. Charlie Dempsey (3-1) vs. Dominic Garrini (2-0). Garrini was barefoot; I don’t think that’s how he usually wrestles. They locked up their legs on the mat. (I’m loving what Mako was bringing to commentary.) Charlie tied up the left leg, and he leaned back into a cravat. Nice! He hit a gut-wrench suplex at 2:30 and switched to targeting the left arm. Dominic went to a Calf Crusher leg lock. Dempsey hit some knee strikes to the ribs, and he went for a cross-armbreaker. Garrini got his own cross-armbreaker, and Dempsey went to the floor to get a break! They got up and traded forearm strikes. Dempsey hit a Northern Lights Suplex and a butterfly suplex into a hammerlock armbar, and Garrini quickly tapped out. That was really good.
Charlie Dempsey defeated Dominic Garrini at 5:36.
5. Royce Isaacs (4-6) vs. Ivar (0-0). I admittedly hadn’t paid much attention to who was on this show, so I was surprised Ivar is here. Ray “Erik” Rowe joined him at ringside. I believe that Isaacs has been in the most Bloodsport matches, other than Josh Barnett. Ivar grabbed a leg and shoved Isaacs to the mat, then mounted and punched Royce. Royce went for a Triangle Choke. They reset at 2:00, and Royce hit some punches and a jumping knee to the chin, and he tied up the left leg on the mat. They got back up and traded forearm strikes.
Isaacs hit a German Suplex and a running knee, then some punches to the face, and he switched to a cross-armbreaker, but Ivar quickly escaped. Ivar hit a splash to the mat and some elbow strikes to the forehead, then a release gut-wrench suplex and more blows to the face. Isaacs hit some knee lifts to the face and a fisherman’s buster, then some blows to the face. Ivar hit a spinning kick, and he went for a senton, but Royce caught him and applied a rear-naked choke, and Ivar tapped out. The crowd booed this — they really wanted to see Ivar win — but that was really good.
Royce Isaacs defeated Ivar at 5:09.
* Mako left the booth here. He was so good, I wanted him to stay. Simon Gotch replaced him.
6. Slade (0-1) vs. Timothy Thatcher (3-3-1). Both competed in this building — on different shows! — a day ago. The cuts from Friday night’s deathmatch are still visible on Slade’s back. Again, Slade looks like every scary bald white guy in every prison movie you’ve ever seen. Thatcher immediately dragged him to the mat. He hit a gut-wrench suplex, and he tied up Slade. The size difference was more vast than I expected, as Thatcher was just overpowering him. He applied a half-crab at 2:30. They got to their feet, and Thatcher hit some punches to the gut. Slade escaped by hitting a thudding headbutt. They rolled back to the mat, with Thatcher again tying him up. Slade bit Thatcher on the arm! The ref immediately called for the bell. They began fighting some more. Dempsey got in the ring to separate them, and of course, we got a “Let them fight!” chant.
Timothy Thatcher defeated Slade via DQ at 4:21.
* Thatcher got on the mic, irate at the finish. He calmed down and thanked the fans for coming out.
* Footage aired of Natalya vs. Miyu Yamashita from April’s show.
7. Erik (0-0) vs. 1 Called Manders (0-1). Ivar joined Erik in the ring, and Gotch put Erik over as one of the scariest guys on the indies when he was Raymond Rowe. They shook hands and locked up. Erik hit some quick kicks to the thighs. Manders hit an Exploder at 4:30, but Erik popped up and hit a suplex. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Erik suddenly hit his jumping knee to the chin, and Manders was knocked out! A hot, hot finish to a fun match overall. “He got knocked into next week,” Emil Jay said.
Erik defeated 1 Called Manders at 6:20.
* They took a 15-minute break for no clear reason. We’re almost done… Josh Barnett came to the ring and noted this was the 14th U.S. show, but he is having his second overseas event, as they are headed to Progress Wrestling in London. So, he’s not wrestling tonight? Like I said, I truly hadn’t looked at the lineup at all!
8. Pete Dunne (1-0) vs. Jonathan Gresham (0-2). It feels like forever since I last saw Dunne; his hair is short again, maybe shorter than I’ve ever seen it. Basic reversals on the mat, and they had a standoff. Dunne went to the left ankle and twisted it. Dunne pushed Gresham off the ring apron to the floor at 3:30. (Again, no ropes!) Back in the ring, they locked up again and Dunne applied a leg lock. Dunne slapped him hard in the back of the head at 8:30, and that ticked Gresham off. They got up and began trading hard open-hand slaps to the face. The slaps got intense; Dunne pounced on him on the mat, applied an armbar, and Gresham tapped out. The last 2-3 minutes were really good.
Pete Dunne defeated Jonathan Gresham at 10:48.
* Footage aired of Natalya, seated in a car and talking about the match later in the day. She vowed that she would win today, and Masha won’t be walking after it.
9. Masha Slamovich (3-3) vs. Nattie Neidhart (1-0). Like in her recent Reality of Wrestling match, Natalya came out in an all-black gear that looks like something a woman would wear in a shoot fight, not her revealing WWE gear; she has simply become a whole different persona as “Nattie” on the indy scene. She gave Masha the middle finger as she walked to the ring with her entourage. They immediately went to the mat, and Masha got a headlock, and she switched to a rear-naked choke. Masha charged, but Nattie pushed her out of the ring at 2:30, and she followed to the floor, and they fought at ringside! Nattie threw her back into the ring and immediately applied an ankle lock; Masha escaped and applied her own ankle lock.
Masha hit a Northern Lights Suplex, and she went for a cross-armbreaker, but Nattie blocked it, mounted Masha, and hit some punches. They each grabbed an ankle on the mat and twisted it. Nattie hit a headbutt and applied a front guillotine choke at 5:00, but Nattie threw her to the mat to escape. Masha pushed Nattie out of the ring, with her “conveniently” landing on her entourage. Masha then dove onto all of them. Back in the ring, Masha caught her flush in the chin with a spin kick. Nattie rolled through it and applied a Sharpshooter and sat down deep! Nattie released the hold, and they spat on each other. Nattie repeatedly stomped on Masha; the ref jumped in and stopped the match, as Masha was defenseless.
Natalya Neidhart defeated Masha Slamovich via ref stoppage at 7:03.
Final thoughts: An exhilarating main event. I am in love with everything Nattie has been doing on this indy run. She comes in with a giant chip on her shoulder, makes clear she’s the best in the world, she’s overlooked, and that’s gonna change. I’ll go with Dempsey-Garrini for second and Ivar-Royce third. That said, it’s great to have a sudden, short match like what Janai Kai had, too… It’s important to have one of those on a show to stress that these could “end at any time.” Like I said above… I don’t think I’d watch this week in, week out… but this is a fun, different take on pro wrestling.
And for once… I’d actually say the ring was too well lit! This feels like it should have been a bit darker, a bit more underground vibe, like a seedy Fight Club we aren’t supposed to know about! This show is up and available on Triller+, and I give it a thumbs up. When you fast-forward over the late break, it clocks in at under two hours.
Be the first to comment