By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW presents “Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XII”
Replay available via TrillerTV+
November 24, 2024 from Jersey City, New Jersey at White Eagle Hall
If you haven’t seen Bloodsport before, it is the most authentic-looking worked wrestling matches, with no ropes on the ring. There are no pinfalls; matches are won by submission or knockout. They tend to be quite short but intense. I know I write this every show… I wouldn’t watch this if it was a weekly show, but as a once- or twice-a-year event, it’s a nice change of pace.
* The show opened with a video package from one of the recent Bloodsport events. I will add that GCW has somehow had WWE/NXT, AEW and TNA wrestlers on past shows, as it’s a style of match that really seems to intrigue wrestlers.
* To the venue, and it is a dark theater with perhaps 250 fans in a packed room. Each of the competitors on this show were introduced and came to the ring. Dan Barry and Emil Jay provided commentary.
1. Calvin Tankman (2-3) vs. Lou Nixon (0-1). Nixon is short and white and I always think of him as a deathmatch guy. Tankman hit a running body block at the bell. They traded kicks to the thighs and punches. Calvin picked him up and slammed him to the mat. Nixon tied up an ankle. They got up and traded more strikes. Calvin hit a spinning back fist. Lou hit some spin kicks but he looked groggy. However, Lou stomped on Calvin’s head twice, and the ref called for the bell!
Lou Nixon defeated Calvin Tankman at 2:10.
2. David Modzmanashvilli (0-0) vs. Matt Makowski (2-3). My first time seeing David; he is apparently a former Olympian and he’s HUGE in muscle mass with a wide frame; think NJPW’s Boltin Oleg. Matt is 6-2 in MMA and he’s had a very good 2024 across the indy scene. Emil said David has a 50-pound weight advantage. They circled each other, when David suddenly just tackled and collapsed on Matt, drawing a huge pop. Matt applied a triangle choke and they kept fighting on the mat. David hit some elbow strikes to the ribs, and he applied a Cobra Clutch-style sleeper on the mat. David hit a German Suplex with Matt rolling out of the ring at 4:30.
Back in the ring, Matt hit some spin kicks to the thighs. David hit another tackle/takedown. Matt applied a rear-naked choke, but David flipped him to the mat. David hit a standing powerbomb; the ref checked on Matt and called for the bell. The crowd gave David a huge ovation; he made one heck of a debut, and he got a “please come back!” chant.
David Modzmanashvilli defeated Matt Makowski at 6:19.
* Footage aired of Ricky Starks’ unexpected appearance in GCW on Saturday.
3. Sumie Sakai vs. Karmen Petrovic. Sumie is now in her 27th year in wrestling but I actually don’t know if I’ve seen her in action this year, after being fairly busy in 2023. Karmen carried her sword to the ring, and Barry noted that Karmen is a karate champion. This might be a rare match where Karmen has the height and weight advantage. They traded spin kicks to the thighs and Sumie dragged her to the mat and tied up Karmen’s arms, but Karmen escaped and they reset. Karmen hit some more spin kicks. She mounted Sumie and hit some punches, then slaps to the face at 2:00.
Sumie sat on Karmen’s chest and slapped at Karmen’s face, then Sumie applied a rear choke. Karmen hit a spin kick to the head and Sumie was groggy. Karmen hit a back suplex. She hit a spin kick to the head and more punches to the head; ref Scarlett Donovan pulled Karmen off Sumie and called for the bell!
Karmen Petrovic defeated Sumie Sakai at 4:39.
* A video package aired of Violence is Forever arguing with Alec Price & Cole Radrick at Saturday’s show. That leads to the next match, where the ViF guys are fighting each other!
4. Dominic Garrini (1-0) vs. Kevin Ku (0-0). So, they each came out to The Cranberries’ “Zombie.” I found it amusing that neither changed up for the match. They slapped hands as a sign of respect and tied up each other’s ankles and fought on the mat. They got up and began trading overhand chops at 1:30. Garrini hit some Yes Kicks, but then Ku caught the leg and hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip! “This is years of pent-up annoyances!” Barry said. Ku hit some Kawada Kicks, so Garrini hit some. They went back to open-hand slaps and the crowd was going nuts for this. Ku caught him with a kick to the forehead. Garrini hit a powerbomb and a piledriver. He applied a rear-naked choke move, and Ku immediately tapped out. This was a blast, even as short as it was.
Dominic Garrini defeated Kevin Ku at 3:07.
5. Charlie Dempsey (w/Myles Borne) vs. Tracy Williams. Tracy is a late replacement for Akira. This crowd was hot and split during introductions. Standing switches to open, and Dempsey twisted the left leg, and they fell to the floor. Back in the ring, Tracy worked over the legs and kept Dempsey grounded and hit a kneedrop on Charlie’s elbow at 2:30. Charlie went for a cross-armbreaker. He tied up a leg, leaned back and applied a kravat! They got up and traded forearm strikes. Charlie went to a cross-armbreaker. Williams applied a Stretch Muffler leglock but Dempsey escaped.
Dempsey hit a gut-wrench suplex and some kneestrikes to the ribs. They got up and traded slaps to the face. Tracy hit a Dr. Bomb! He hit a diving forearm. Charlie hit a double-underhook suplex, and immediately applied a Fujiwara Armbar. Tracy hit a high back suplex at 8:30. Dempsey hit a gutwrench suplex. Tracy applied an STF, but Dempsey escaped, applied a Fujiwara Armbar, and Williams tapped out. That was intense. I always presume the WWE wrestlers will win here, but there were a couple times Tracy did look like he was getting the upset.
Charlie Dempsey defeated Tracy Williams at 9:25.
* The GCW prison bus vignette aired. Give Brett Lauderdale all the credit in the world for making these memorable videos to promote “The People vs. GCW.”
6. Marina Shafir (5-0) (w/Jon Moxley) vs. Jody Theat (0-1). The crowd popped when they saw Moxley. They traded punches, then went to the mat. Marina tied up the left ankle, and she slammed Jody to the mat and kept Threat grounded. Marina tied her in an Octopus Stretch, but Jody fell backward to the mat to escape at 3:30. Marina mounted her and hit more blows to the ribs. Jody tried a Triangle Choke, and she switched to a rear-naked choke. Marina stood up and hit a series of kicks and a stomp on the lower back. Jody knocked Marina to the floor and she dove to the floor on her! They traded forearm strikes on the floor. The commentators agreed they had never seen a dive in Bloodsport.
Back in the ring, Marina immediately went right back to an anklelock. Jody hit a German Suplex and she was fired up. Marina hit a belly-to-belly powerslam and she applied a Mother’s Milk belly-to-belly submission hold; Jody writhed for a few seconds then tapped out. That was entertaining. I fully believe Marina could beat up most men, myself included. I just glanced at my stopwatch and this felt so much longer than it was.
Marina Shafir defeated Jody Threat at 7:19.
* Video aired of Masha Slamovich vs. Shayna Baszler from the last Bloodsport show.
7. Lei Ying Lee (0-0) vs. Masha Slamovich (2-3). Sammi Chaos, one of Masha’s students and a woman I’ve seen a few times recently, accompanied Masha to ringside. Lei is the former Xia Li. Masha got on the mic and showed off the TNA Knockouts World Title, and she announced she’s putting it on the line! A feeling-out process as they traded spin kicks to thighs, then they wrestled on the mat, and Lei fell to the floor. Back in the ring, they traded more spin kicks, then went to the mat and again nearly fell to the floor as they battled on the edge of the ring.
Masha hit a Northern Lights Suplex and applied a cross-armbreaker at 4:30. Lei applied an STF. Masha hit a back suplex and applied a rear-naked choke. Barry said Masha is bleeding; yep a cut over her left eyebrow. Lei hit some kicks. Masha hit a kneestrike then mounted her and hit a series of punches until the ref pulled her off and called for the bell. They hugged afterwards.
Masha Slamovich defeated Lei Ying Lee to retain the TNA Knockouts Title at 6:38.
* After a video aired of the 2024 Jersey Cup tournament, it was announced that the next Jersey Cup will be two nights, Feb. 15-16, in this venue.
8. Royce Isaacs (3-5) vs. Myles Borne (0-0) (w/Charlie Dempsey). Isaacs has a wide frame and is bigger than Borne. They immediately fought to the mat. Barry said only Josh Barnett has competed in more Bloodsports than Isaacs. Isaacs tied up the left ankle and this has been an extended feeling-out process. They stood and Royce went for some knee lifts to the gut that Myles blocked. Royce hit an Exploder Suplex at 6:00. Borne applied a rear-naked choke, but Isaacs jumped and fell backward to escape. Royce hit a German Suplex and some elbow strikes. Myles hit a back suplex; Royce hit a Samoan Drop. Royce tied up Borne and leaned back, and Borne tapped out. Hey, a WWE guy lost! “Someone get an ID on this man,” Emil said.
Royce Isaacs defeated Myles Borne at 8:28.
9. Mike Bailey (1-3) vs. Josh Alexander (0-1). They tried some kicks early but few landed. Bailey applied a triangle choke and they fought on the edge of the ring, and Bailey flipped to the floor, landing on his feet at 2:00. In the ring, Josh blocked more of Bailey’s spin kick attempts and they fought on the mat. Mike mounted him and hit some blows at 5:00. They separated and reset on their feet. Bailey hit a spin kick to the gut, then a German Suplex. Bailey jumped on Josh’s back and applied a rear-naked choke, but Josh fell backward onto him at 7:00. Josh hit a German Suplex and Bailey rolled to the floor.
Back in the ring, Bailey hit his Speedball kicks to the ribs and thighs. They rolled to the floor, where Josh hit a German Suplex on the floor at 9:00! In the ring, Bailey hit some kicks, and Josh ripped off his headgear! They began trading open-hand strikes. They fell to the mat, and Josh applied an anklelock, and Bailey tapped out! That was sudden. The crowd gave them a “that was awesome!” chant, and they shook hands afterwards.
Josh Alexander defeated Mike Bailey at 10:09.
* Footage aired of MVP’s shocking debut at Bloodsport XI, which led to the challenge for the next match!
10. Josh Barnett (6-1-1) vs. MVP (0-0). They fought on the mat and MVP applied a Triangle Choke. He grapevined the leg and this was a slow feeling-out process early on. They got to their feet at 5:30 and traded punches, and Barnett hit a gut-wrench suplex. They went back to the mat and slowed it down. MVP hit a knee drop on the spine, then a quick kick on the spine at 10:00, and Emil was spot-on with the time call. They got up and reset, and MVP peppered him with some punches and forearms, then an uppercut that dropped Barnett. For the second time, he made the ‘ballin’ gesture. Barnett got up and unloaded some punches, and he hit another gut-wrench suplex. Barnett applied a rear-naked choke, and the ref called for the bell. They hugged afterwards.
Josh Barnett defeated MVP at 13:43.
* MVP got on the mic and said “they say be careful for what you wish for.” MVP said he started training in legit grappling 11 years ago, and Barnett helped train him. Barnett then made an open challenge for someone to face him at Hammerstein Ballroom on Jan. 19 in a Bloodsport match.
Final Thoughts: This was a really entertaining show with a hot and attentive crowd. They popped for big spots and were into everything. I can’t say enough good things about Barry and Emil on commentary. A shoot-fight show needs commentary that presents this as an authentic sport, and they brought that here. I know Barry is out of action with a leg injury, and I hope he joins more commentary booths while he’s recovering. I’ll go with Bailey-Alexander for best match, and even though it was really short, Ku-Garrini takes second. Shafir-Jody was really good and takes third. The main event was fine but it wasn’t among my favorites, either. Modzmanashvilli had quite a debut, too. This isn’t for everyone but I enjoyed it.
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