Josh Barnett's Bloodspot (GCW, 4/4/19)

Jonathan Gresham vs. Masashi Takeda

Takeda is soaking it all up and it's a blast to watch. He outwrestles Gresham in the opening exchange, headbutts the floor, and picks a fight with Gresham, whom I haven't seen much of, but clicked well with Takeda, who can do everything when it comes to professional wrestling. The last few minutes encapsulate the pro-wrestling love -- crazy slaps and flying armbars out of nowhere, pounding away at bloody eyeballs and a KO finish that looked like a KO finish. Can't think of a better sprint in 2019. 

Hideki Suzuki vs. Timothy Thatcher

A very good match, with Hideki's control and/or fighting for control being the best part of it, as Thatcher works sell well underneath. Slow build but a hot finish. Suzuki's shitty boots, face kicks and elbows alway look so insane, and Thatcher can cut loose when he wants to - that Hideki sell off the European uppercut was especially great. Super strong finish for Hideki, who comes into U.S. looking like a master.  

Minoru Suzuki vs. Josh Barnett

The early tradeoffs on the mat were very good, and the cool little Suzuki nuances added to them - I really liked his punch to set-up the leglock. And Barnett's good at throwing his weight into the exchanges - him tossing Suzuki like a sack of potatoes to get out of that snug side headlock was great. When Suzuki is forced to wrestle, he's still top-notch. His transition into the crucifix kneebar was slick. But the match stumbles a bit following the piledriver tease and doesn't have nearly the same chaos factor at Takeda/Gresham until they're wildly slapping each other to a draw. The highs are high enough and it's probably Suzuki's best singles performance of the year. 

Yuki Ishikawa vs. Timothy Thatcher (wXw, 3/9/19)

Loved this. Ishikawa is so fucking good, and he looked like he was right there in his primal element, having fun torturing Thatcher on the mat. Obviously Thatcher takes a lot of inspiration from Ishikawa and while Thatcher is very good at preparing to grab a hold or building up a submission attempt, his execution is nowhere near as snug as Ishikawa's. Thatcher's selling adds extra spice but the way Ishikawa cranks on an ankle, digs into a headlock, or wrenches on an armbar looks like hell. Each time you think Thatcher's got something crafty going on the mat, Ishikawa one-ups him and traps him in a hold. And I loved Ishikawa's do-si-do of limbwork to keep Thatcher from breaking the hold. Thatcher getting outclassed on the mat and resorting to strikes is great stuff and leads to some very snug shots from both men, a couple throws, and then the finish, which sees Ishikawa best him like a true big boss.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Oney Lorcan (wXw, 10/6/19)

The nuts and bolts of professional wrestling. Simple, effective, hard-hitting and competitive, without being self-indulgent. Tons of nuances - I mean, Oney works a hell of a side headlock and keeps going back to the neck throughout the match duration. At one point, Thatcher is popping Lorcan in the face with boots to escape a single leg but Lorcan turns it into a modified STF anyway. The way Oney uses a slap to transition back to the side headlock was a real slick, veteran maneuver. Likewise, the way Thatcher uses his boot to try and break off an armbar is a nice touch. The selling was realistic, from Oney taking the belly-to-belly, to the way Thatcher kept his neck bent after taking a surprise half nelson suplex, and him still grabbing at Oney when he goes down off a big slap to the face. I thought the KO shoulder slap finish wasn't that strong compared to some of the earlier shots but still, a very cool match-up well worth checking out.