Bloodsport XIII has come and gone.
For those who don’t follow the unique format, Bloodsport started in 2018 under Matt Riddle’s name. Once Riddle signed to WWE, the event was turned over to former UFC fighter Josh Barnett. The rules are quite simple: every match will end either by knockout or submission. Instead of the traditional pro wrestling ring, the canvas has no ropes or turnbuckles.
A total of seven current WWE superstars competed at the annual event in Las Vegas last week and only one came out with a loss. That’s NXT’s Karmen Petrovic who lost to Japan superstar Maika via submission.
Nattie made her debut and impressed with her match against Miya Yamashita. The match went about eight minutes and both women used their technical prowess throughout. However, Nattie was able to counter an ankle lock with a mule kick and then locked in her signature sharpshooter. Miyu passed out from the move and the referee declared her the winner. It was a great match.
However, a little angle was shot afterwards as the WWE star got into a brawl with Kenzie Paige, who was standing in the front row. The current NWA World Women’s Champion gave her the middle finger. Nattie responded by shoving Paige and the two got into a scuffle. This is likely the match for Natalya at NWA’s upcoming Crockett Cup in May.
Arguably the best match on the card was Zack Sabre Jr vs. Jonathan Gresham who went nearly 20-minutes. It originally went to a time limit draw at 15 minutes and was given a five-minute overdraw. It was a pure wrestling clinic between these two as both men have excellent chemistry. In the end, the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion got the win via KO with a running Penalty kick.
In the main event, Gabe Kidd pulled out a rare victory over Josh Barnett himself. Barnett has only lost one of his Bloodsport matches before Gabe, so it was huge to see the former NJPW Strong Openweight Champion get the win. Kidd was able to hit a piledriver and a couple of forearm strikes to seal the victory.
Check out the official match results below:
- Leyla Hirsch def. Jordan Blade via TKO
- Maika def. Karmen Petrovic via submission
- Charlie Dempsey def. Shinya Aoki via TKO
- Karrion Kross def. JR Kratos via submission
- Pete Dunne def. Timothy Thatcher via submission
- Natalya def. Miyu Yamashita via submission
- Tavion Heights def. Royce Isaacs via TKO
- Shayna Baszler def. Komani via TKO
- Zack Sabre Jr. def. Jonathan Gresham via KO. The match went to a time limit draw, resulting in a five-minute overtime.
- Gabe Kidd def. Josh Barnett via TKO