Minoru Suzuki vs. Timothy Thatcher

[6.0] "A more traditional style wrestling match here and I enjoyed it for what it was, but couldn't get invested in it as much as some of the other matches. Suzuki obviously gets by a lot on crowd participation these days, but I can't fault him for it because it's still entertaining enough for me to carry otherwise unremarkable matches into something better."

[7.0] "[3.5*] Another very good match. Maybe this was the match that less looked like a shoot fight, as they did a lot of fighting spirit stuff that would totally happen on a random indy show in the US, with one guy telling the other one to hit him with elbows and uppercuts. This was completely a normal wrestling match, but also a pretty damn good one."

[7.0] "Another unbelievably good match in this event, it isn't a proper Bloodsport if Minoru Suzuki isn't in it, the Murder Grandpa is a legend and a constant presence in this events, and in this match he was flawless, his expressions were very good, the man was loose, it doesn't get more charismatic than that, so good to watch a match like this. MiSu and Thatcher wrestled a formidable match here, the mat wrestling had a really high level, and it was just so enjoyable, loved when Thatcher suddenly fell out of the ring, their sellings were great. At the end Suzuki managed to combine some moves and hit him with the dangerous Gotch-style piledriver, and of course the match ended. This match was extremely regular, felt like every moment was equally great - {***1/2}"

[5.0] "Suzuki is completely and utterly washed so this had a lot more bells and whistles on it and was pro wrestling style. It was going to decent enough but it lost my interest pretty quickly which is a shame as I like Thatcher a lot and don't get to watch him very often."

[6.0] "A more typical pro wrestling match, as others have pointed out. I thought it was pretty solid, but didn't like all the strike exchanges they kept relying on. I get it, Suzuki's old, but Tatcher is more than creative enough to fill time in other ways. 3.25 Stars."

[8.0] "The first pro wrestling-style match on this show which it usually has a couple of, but that works for these two. Suzuki usually just works his normal match style at Bloodsport and Thatcher has the intensity to make that work within the ruleset. There's a mean streak to all the matwork, and of course the striking and taunting on the outside were good pace-breakers. Tim getting knocked to the outside only to get that second wind with that face of his and a cut on his torso and then getting put down with the Gotch Piledriver was a great ending. ***1/2+"

[7.0] "Really great aggression and passion from both of these guys, but it shines a lot more for the pro-wrestling style than the bloodsport style, and they fumble a little on the line between wrestling and MMA. That's not to say this wasn't good, rather to say it had the potential to be excellent if they struck a better balance."

[6.0] "This was more gimmicky than the show's norm, with Suzuki staying pretty close to his usual formula. That outline is always enjoyable enough though, and did earn some response from the otherwise muted Sumo Hall crowd. Thatcher is a natural opponent also, making for a decent match that added some variety to the show. **3/4"

[5.0] "This had its moments and showed that it could've been good but ultimately they went with the very gimmicky forearm strikes to suit Suzuki's strengths now. If this was put together to suit Thatcher, this may have filled itself out to the potential it had. The wrong Suzuki was against Thatcher though. **3/4"

[8.0] "This one pretty much ditched the Bloodsport more shoot style approach and just had a regular 2020's Suzuki match, and it was pretty great. Suzuki is an alltimer and Thatcher is a very solid worker especially in Bloodsport, they just had a full on brawl with all the Suzuki cheating and no selling we all love, super fun match that really got the crowd up."

[7.0] "Thatcher is a regular in Japan as well as Bloodsport so he was in his element and Suzuki has been putting in some very good performances recently so I was curious to see what this match would be like and found it very solid. At no point was it amazing or anything, but it was entertaining enough to convince me. Cool to see the Gotchstyle Piledriver being as devastating as ever."

[8.0] "This match tried to be like nothing else on the card and leaned into tendencies of both wrestlers that some parachuting fans will hate (some will love though), but it was an entertaining match with a fun finishing stretch - it blended Bloodsport concept and a normal pro-wrestling match in ways that I enjoyed. Suzuki figured out how to create unique experiences with his matches, so I'll remember this one by the end of the year though it wasn't one of my favorite matches of 2024."

[7.0] "Minoru Suzuki walked into a Ryogoku so tepid that no one even chanted Kaze Ni Nare when he stepped into the canvas. By the time he left the arena, however, everyone was revved up and excited. He just has a way of reading what the crowd craves. And they clearly craved some strike battle pro wrestling over traditional Bloodsport style for this match. Suzuki and Thatcher delivered that to them. This could have gone on longer, and some of Thatcher's facial expressions were too over the top. But this was good stuff for the most part. ***1/4"