Timothy Thatcher

[BillThompson]

I decided I'm really going to dig deep into Thatcher as I really do believe he has a low end case for my top 100. I'm going to keep track of the matches I watch in here, with links to the reviews I write for my blog and Free Pro Wrestling, and little reviews in here for the matches I'm not writing up at either site,

 

Here's what I have so far,

 

Beyond Wrestling: Secret Show (04-13-2014) Timothy Thatcher vs. Biff Busick

 

Reviewed on Blue Thunder Driver

 

Supreme Pro Wrestling: SPW Arena (02-17-2013) Jeff Cobb vs. Timothy Thatcher

 

Reviewed on Blue Thunder Driver

 

Pro Wrestling Bushido: La Jaimica (10-16-2011) Timothy Thatcher vs. Fit Finlay

 

Reviewed on Blue Thunder Driver

 

All Pro Wrestling/Vendetta Pro Wrestling: Terror Dome '12 (10-20-2012) Chris Masters vs. Timothy Thatcher

 

Reviewed on Blue Thunder Driver

 

PREMIER Wrestling: Mr. Athletic vs. Old School (12-15-2013) Sledge vs. Timothy Thatcher

 

Reviewed on Free Pro Wrestling

[BillThompson]

All Star Wrestling: Leas Cliff Hall (Unknown Date) Timothy Thatcher vs. Robbie Dynamite

 

They're working in a ring that looks like a crackerjack box, and that does cause some problems at first. Neither man is on the same page, and Thatcher appears to be having issues adjusting to the tinier ring. Eventually Thatcher takes a powder to the outside and it's a vry smart move. He's able to have a row with the crowd, and be antagonistic enough that the audience really gets into the match.

 

Once he makes his way back inside Thatcher seems to have a better handle on the ring as he shortens up his stride and starts working through more compact sequences. Dynamite is a fantastic bumper, he makes all of Thatcher's offense look just killer. He's not what I'd call a great seller, but Dynamite really goes all out when it comes to taking moves from Thatcher. They time the comeback of Dynamite really well, and at this point the fans are really digging the match.

 

Unfortunately Dynamite keeps insisting on attempting float around counters, and he's just not fast or smooth enough to pull them off believably. Some of that falls on Thatcher as well. He should have recognized this and went for his offense a few seconds later, or ran a little slower, to provide Dynamite the time he needed to execute his counters in a way that would look more believable. Where Dynamite shows his wares is in his power countering, and I wish he would have gone that route more often. The end stretch is a great example of that as Dynamite slowly powers through a Thatcher attempt at an Armlock, and transitions into where he delivers a Tombstone Piledriver for the win. It was a nifty sequence, and using his strength to power through transitions is something I hope Dynamite uses more often than he did in this match.

 

All in all a decent, albeit flawed, match for both men. The adjustments that took place are a feather in Thatcher's cap, and his ability to jaw with the fans and really get them to hate him through his actions in the ring is commendable. That being said he needed to work down to Dynamite's level more than he did, and it is something that he does far more often later in his career.

 

All Pro Wrestling: Gym Wars - Super Summer Series '10 (06-12-2010) Derek Sanders vs. Timothy Thatcher

 

Thatcher is in his shiteating grin heel mode in this match. Right off the bat he's complaining about Sanders being greased up, jawing with the ref, and making sure that in this battle of two heels the audience understands he's the one they need to hate. Sanders play his role nicely as he cheats, but he does so in a way that the crowd cheers for.

 

There's not too much to Sanders as far as grappling or technical wrestling goes. He is gassed about two minutes into the match. Thatcher tries to give him a brief respite with a 15 second Chinlock, but as soon as they get back to running the ropes it's clear that Sanders is still too gassed to bring much to the match. Thatcher tries to cover for Sanders by going to an Armbar, but it's pretty clear that Sanders just has nothing in the tank and is only capable of very short spurts before he's gassed again. Thatcher does his best to try and give a lot to Sanders, but it's kind of like asking a stone for blood, it just isn't going to give you anything.

 

The ending is fun with the repeated bouts of back and forth cheating until Thatcher is outcheated for the loss. Not a good match, not even a decent match, though Thatcher sure did try. Sanders was worth about as much as a bag of bricks, and there wasn't a lot Thatcher could do with that. He tried to stall for time, he did some interesting little things like selling ear damage from a missed DDT attempt from Sanders, and in general putting over any offense Sanders employed like it was damaging. Still, not exactly a match for a case to be built on.

 

National Wrestling Alliance Championship Wrestling from Hollywood: #44 (07-10-2011) Disco Machine vs. Timothy Thatcher

 

First thing first, I never noticed how gnarly Thatcher's teeth are. We're talking chipped, broken, and just ghastly looking. In a way it detracts from the smooth aristocratic mat worker gimmick that he goes for most of the time. At the same time it adds an interesting twist to that image, and as stereotypical as it may sound the messed up teeth play into the British Messiah moniker.

 

Quick match, just around five minutes. Highlights just how much better Thatcher is than most people on the indies when it comes to pure wrestling. One mat sequence and it's clear that the announcers are wasting their time in trying to get over the idea that Disco is some sort of hidden mat wizard. His movements are slow and choreographed compared to the smooth yet grounded movements of Thatcher. The key is that Thatcher recognizes that he's a few steps ahead of Disco and he reigns himself in. He could have blown Disco out of the water, but he works to the level of Disco and because of that the match is far better than it has any right to be.

 

In keeping with his gimmick Thatcher brings forth true disdain at Disco grappling with him, and when he does start ragdolling Disco it's with the sort of contempt that I find a lot of fun to watch. In a decent match Thatcher looks great as he works to the strengths and weakness of his opponent and provides an entertaining match as a result.

[BillThompson]

That's all for now, and if anyone is actually interested in what I have to say about Thatcher I'm not against providing snowflakes if that gives you a better grasp of where I think these matches fall. Either way, I'll be back with more later.

[BillThompson]

Rival Forge Wrestling: The Coconut Grove (06-04-2010) Timothy Thatcher vs. Matt Carlos

 

Thatcher has a clear size advantage here, and he makes good use of it. He falls right into the bully role and overpowers Carlos at will. There's one point where he stops Carlos from running up the ropes and lets him fall so that Thatcher jacks him right in the back with a European Uppercut. It's a pretty inventive spot, but it's mainly an example of Thatcher understanding that he is the bigger man and needs to apply his power advantage in a vicious manner.

 

The best part of the match is when Thatcher is on offense as he just destroys Carlos' left arm. He goes after it in a lot of different ways, and centers all of his offense around attacking that arm. He uses a Stump Puller to the arm, a Fujiwara Armbar, stiff kicks, and he even unleashes a standing Headbutt to the injured arm of Carlos. At one point Thatcher goes after the right arm, but as soon as Carlos attempts to protect that arm Thatcher floats over and traps Carlos' already injured arm in the Thatcher Stretch. It's a nifty wrestling sequence, and it's pretty neat to see a guy employ such strategic match planning for a crowd of maybe 25 people.

 

The main negative in the match is Carlos. He tries really hard, but he's very unpolished and just not ready to be going longer than three or four minutes. He keeps going for the same move over and over, Spike Dudley's Acid Trip. The first few times it was okay, but by about the fifth time it became all too obvious the kid didn't know any other highspots beyond that move. Where Carlos really hurt the match was in his selling of his injured left arm. At first he sells it pretty well, but then he goes back on offense and pretty clearly gets lost in the momentum of the match and starts using his injured arm to throw Punches and gut shots. His use of the Acid Trip is especially problematic because he relies on his injured arm to form the Cravate grip and he lands on his injured arm every time.

 

All in all a really great showing from Thatcher and a pretty decent match to boot. Carlos is learning so I'm more willing to accept the negatives he brings to the match. Still, those negatives are present and they do bring the match down. For the Thatcher project though this is another match that really showcases Thatcher's ability to take someone far below his talent level and do his best to make them look really good.

[BillThompson]

National Wrestling Alliance Championship Wrestling from Hollywood: #76 (02-12-2012) Ricky Mandel & Timothy Thatcher vs. Hector Canales & Pinky

 

A nothing match, with three guys who are really awful and Thatcher who does very little in the match. Only real takeaway from this one is that Thatcher didn't take the night off even though he could of. It would have been very easy for him to ease up on his facial expressions and just run through the motions. But, he doesn't, and watching him on the ring apron was far better than what the other guys were doing in the match. Some truly awful wrestling, from everyone but Thatcher that is, but not even he can do anything to save this match.

[concrete1992]

Out of curiosity, how much Robbie Dynamite have you seen?

[BillThompson]

Only a few matches.

[BillThompson]

Pro Wrestling Revolution: John A. O'Connell High School (02-22-2014) Timothy Thatcher vs. Blue Demon Jr.

 

Whenever I see a Blue Demon Jr. match from now on I'll forever be haunted by Matt Striker saying De-moan over and over again. That's okay though, because watching a Blue Demon Jr. match is usually a horrific experience to begin with. As far as Demon's involvement in this match goes there's certainly a lot of horrific wrestling taking place. He's really slow, really lazy, out of position all the time, and constantly trying for sequences he can't actually execute. In short, Demon is awful, and brings nada to this match.

 

The match itself is pretty awful as well, but that doesn't mean Thatcher's performance is awful. I'd actually pick this match over most of Thatcher's MOTYC to highlight why he's such a talented worker. He shows true versatility in employing a different bag of tricks to counter the awfulness of Demon. Thatcher plays the whiny and cowardly heel. He's damn good at it too, getting the crowd riled up at will with his antics.

 

There are so many times during this match when the crowd is about ready to give up thanks to how bad the actual wrestling exchanges look. Now, one could argue that Thatcher needed to try something different on the mat to aid the slow Demon. Problem with that idea is that it assumes Thatcher is calling this match, and I highly doubt anyone besides Demon is calling a Demon match nowadays. Since his hands are tied with Demon himself, Thatcher resorts to playing to the crowd and in general being a complete goof. At one point he ties himself up into a pretzel so that Demon can sit on his back and flex. The idea is supposed to be that Demon did the tying, but essentially Demon stood there and put a hand on Thatcher a couple of times while Thatcher did all the pretzel work himself.

 

Heeling away is Thatcher's modus operandi against Demon, and it makes a horrendously worked match from Demon somewhat watchable. Don't get me wrong, anytime they exchange holds the match is awful. When Thatcher is messing with the crowd and being the best coward he knows how to be, awfulness turns into fun pretty quickly.

[BillThompson]

National Wrestling Alliance Championship Wrestling from Hollywood: #74 (02-12-2012) Brian Weston vs. Timothy Thatcher

 

A sprint squash, but a heck of a fun squash. Thatcher is absolutely vicious in attacking Weston. He nails him with every move and lays in all of his European Uppercuts as stiff as can be. He goes to town on Weston's arm, and when he does his neat Arm Wringer Stomp, I oohed with enjoyment. Only real negative in this match is the weird move where Thatcher runs into the corner and Springs off the ropes and runs back across the ring at his opponent who is in the opposite corner. This is the second time I've seen Thatcher pull out that spot and I'm really not a fan.

 

Most impressive spot of the match belongs to Weston though who answers Thatcher's stiffness with an Elbow strike to the side of Thatcher's face that lands with an absolutely sick smack. Weston plays his part in this match really well. He takes a beating and puts over the impressiveness of Thatcher in fine fashion. When he has his brief moment for a comeback he nails all his moves crisply and builds the sliver of hope in the audience that he's not going to get crushed.

 

Alas, crushed is the end result for Weston. A well done sprint squash, when Thatcher is beating fools down I'm a happy camper.

[BillThompson]

National Wrestling Alliance Championship Wrestling from Hollywood: Unknown Event (Unknown Date) Timothy Thatcher & Drew Gulak vs. Revolution (Che Cabrera & Sasha Darevko)

 

A fun sprint. There's not much to the match beyond quick tags and lots of double teaming, but it's fun to watch. This is the first match where I'd say Thatcher was a non-factor. He did a few things, but overall the bulk of the work was done by Gulak and Darevko. Still, for five minutes all four men move really fast, are in and out of the ring, and present an interesting mix of submission and power wrestling, and the match finishes before anyone gets too tired.

[BillThompson]

All Pro Wrestling: Super Summer Series '10 (06-12-2010) Jody Kristofferson vs. Timothy Thatcher

 

This is a first round match in All Pro Wrestling's Super Summer Series Tournament.

 

About four minutes of really great stuff and two minutes of pretty terrible stuff. Both come from Thatcher, as Kristofferson is pretty much just along for the ride. Thatcher is selling a previous arm injury, and his left arm is heavily taped. For four minutes Thatcher puts on a brilliant performance. He refuses to use his left arm, holding it tightly against his side and wincing when his arm moves in the slightest or is touched. He implements a lot of neat one-arm offense, and it's all very believable.

 

In the final two minutes Kristofferson fires up for his comeback and that's when Thatcher decides to forget about his arm. He's tossed into the ropes via his damaged arm but he doesn't react. When Thatcher runs the ropes he keeps his arm in motion as if it's not injured. But then when Kristofferson hits a Dropkick to the injured arm Thatcher sells it like death again. The finish involves the Thatcher Stretch, which is a big mistake on the part of Thatcher, or whoever planned the match, because it involves him using his injured arm to lock in the hold and violently pull back on the head of Kristofferson.

 

It's odd to see Thatcher sell the arm brilliantly for four minutes and then spend two minutes completely forgetting about the arm. This was on pace to be a match in Thatcher's favor, but as it stands it's a case against him being a top 100 guy.

[BillThompson]

National Wrestling Alliance Championship Wrestling from Hollywood: #53 (09-11-2011) Mikey O'Shea & Timothy Thatcher vs. Disco Machine & Terex

 

O'Shea is a big fat guy, but Terex is a bigger fat guy with a huge gut covered in an ugly tattoo. Again, there isn't a whole lot to Thatcher's performance in this match, and it appears that he really has problems functioning in tag matches. A lot of nondescript stuff happens, Thatcher hits a decent looking Lungblower, and then for some reason he shows fear of Terex. He avoids a tag at one point, and then when he finally does tag in he hypes himself up and then fakes a dive for Terex's leg where he goes under the ropes and runs away. It's a small moment but it's pretty funny and shows a more comedic side of Thatcher that isn't always present.

[BillThompson]

Reno Wrestle Factory: Unknown Location (Unknown Date) Timothy Thatcher vs. Will Rood

 

This is very early in Rood's career, but he shows some nice skill for his level of experience. They keep things basic, and they work very methodically. The opening four minutes or so feature both men working through Armlocks and Arm Wringers, and they do so through some surprisingly adept transitional wrestling. I expect Thatcher to be great at that stuff, but he shows a lot here in guiding Rood through the transitions and always putting Rood in a position where he looks really good. That's not to say that Rood doesn't contribute, because he very much does. His positioning is really good, and he sets up his moves in a way that is highly believable. I never got the sense that Thatcher was leagues ahead of Rood skills wise and that speaks to the ability of Rood to do the basics very well and of Thatcher to work to Rood's strengths.

 

The bloom comes off the rose a bit with Rood the longer the match goes. He messes up a reversal Rollup sequence, but to his credit he doesn't freeze but instead keeps going with the flow of the match and is quick to apply the next move. His selling of Thatcher's arm work is spotty, but for someone as inexperienced as Rood it's well within acceptable levels. Rood's very clearly limited in his offensive arsenal, but he compensates for that by keeping his offense simple and working in a way that puts emphasis on the few moves he does know.

 

I really liked this match, it's not great or anything, but it's pretty darn good. There's a real sense of struggle in the opening arm work. The middle section is well laid out and plays to the strengths of Rood. For Thatcher this is the type of performance that makes him look like a top 100 guy because he puts in great effort and makes his green opponent look very good in the process.

[BillThompson]

Fog City Wrestling: Heartbreak Ridge (Unknown Date) Timothy Thatcher vs. Malachi

 

Terrible finish aside, this was a really good sub-10 minute match. Something I've noticed about Thatcher so far is that he very much has a formula. He goes after the left arm in just about every match. I could see some not liking that he has a formulaic approach, but I enjoy it. To me it emphasizes the wrestling as sport style that is Thatcher. He also changes things up, he doesn't always attack the arm with the same moves. He varies his arm attack moveset and it makes even his formulaic approach feel different each time out. Take this match for instance where Thatcher busts out a bridging Hammerlock as a new way of working over the left arm in setting up the Thatcher Stretch.

 

The majority of this match is worked slowly and methodically, and the progression of the match makes a lot of sense. Thatcher goes after the arm and Malachi does a pretty good job of selling. In turn Malachi works over Thatcher's neck and Thatcher does a good job of selling. Every move seems like it matters, and the match is worked in such a way that Malachi's suplexes have more importance behind them. All in all both guys work a match that works well within the limits of Malachi as a worker.

 

The finishing run is actually pretty compelling, and the set-up makes sense. The problem is the actual finishing move employed by Malachi. It's some sort of Straightjacket Piledriver, but it's not really a feasible move. The basic idea of the move is flawed as it essentially requires the person taking the move to do all the work. In this match in particular it's a bad choice for a finish because it requires, at least in wrestling logic, for Malachi to use his damaged arm to execute the move an that works against everything that has come before in the match.

 

A well executed match that was fun to watch and worked really well up until the final move.

[BillThompson]

All Pro Wrestling: Gym Wars - Young Lions Cup '10 (04-10-2010) Timothy Thatcher vs. Dave Dutra

 

Dutra is the first real polished high flyer I've seen Thatcher go up against. That makes for an interesting first few minutes as Thatcher gets to move around the ring and show off his speed and bumping ability. He's always in place for Dutra's offense and he bumps really well for the high flying moves. Thatcher is usually very slow and methodical, and while he does eventually bring the match to his pace the first few minutes and the end stretch are worked at Dutra's pace and Thatcher never looks out of place. No one is ever going to confuse Thatcher with a great flyer, but he can make for a great base, and that's what he provides to Dutra in this match.

 

Thatcher does what he usually does during the middle stretch and grinds out Dutra with stiff strikes and lots of arm work. Again though Thatcher keeps things interesting by varying up his attacks. He augments his European Uppercuts by using the throw your opponent in the air and hit them with a European Uppercut when they're on their way down that Cesaro has made so famous. He also has a nice spot where he's on the outside and he pulls Dutra, who is face down, so that they are hanging over the edge of the ring. He then hits the defenseless Dutra with a vicious European Uppercut. At the same time Thatcher works over Dutra's arm with Elbow Drops and straight Headbutts, not his usual fare.

 

I came away from this match pretty impressed with Dutra as well. He made the most of his moments, and his high flying offense carried impact. He's no Angelico or Tanahasi where every move seems like he's grazing his opponent with a feather. When Dutra hits a Moonsault his body makes heavy impact with the body of his opponent. I would have liked to have seen better sustained selling of the arm, and he could have sold the struggle of being caught in the Thatcher Stretch more. Also, whatever his finisher is supposed to be, it's not all that great and a little too complicated to execute, as evidenced by him messing up the first time he tried to apply the hold.

 

Another great performance from Thatcher in a pretty good match.

[BillThompson]

All Pro Wrestling: Gym Wars (08-14-2010) Timothy Thatcher vs. Matt Carlos

 

Much the same as their previous encounter, only this time Carlos looks more at ease in the ring. Carlos gives up on the flying too easily,. opting to grab a Headlock. Now, it does give the viewer an interesting back and forth segment where Thatcher and Carlos are working through that Headlock into a number of counters and pinning predicaments. It looked swell, but someone like Carlos, especially given his size, shouldn't be engaging in a sequence like that with a fresh Thatcher. At least not of his own accord, as a way of surviving the grappling of Thatcher sure, but as a sequence he initiates, nope, not what Carlos should be doing.

 

The entire middle stretch is all Thatcher on offense and Carlos bumping. It's a smart choice, because Thatcher's offense looks great and Carlos is one heck of a bumper. He really makes Thatcher look big, powerful, and hurty with his bumping. That's not a skill that should go unnoticed. Thatcher helps his cause by really laying into his offense. He doesn't really go after the arm this time, instead he bombards the back of Carlos with lots of power stuff and stiff strikes. It's a vary well worked segment and a smart one because it hides how limited Carlos is on offense. Hopefully over time Carlos improved his offense, but at this stage in his career he knows maybe a handful of moves and he goes for them over and over again. Having Thatcher be on offense hid that, and it was the smart call to make.

 

Once Carlos makes his comeback Thatcher bumps really well for his speed based offense. Some of it is crappy, the "I grab you, we both fall to the mat and somehow you end up hurt" type of offense. But, Thatcher does his part to make it look like he should be hurt by bumping in the right measure for the offense Carlos is delivering. The finish is cheating from Thatcher, which fits his character throughout the match. All the skill in the world, but he's essentially a bully who doesn't know how to handle someone sticking up to him. As soon as Carlos stands up to him Thatcher has to get out of dodge as soon as possible, and the cheating ties into that nicely.

 

Really good match, with Thatcher showing his ability to work within the limitations of his opponent to get the best out of said opponent.

[Strand Peanut]

I think Thatcher's pretty good. But he only seems to pop up in the smallest of places.

 

No one thinking "There's money in this guy.." ? Or am I just missing the more high profile stuff ?

 

And by "money" let's be realistic. He's an indie wrestler.

[BillThompson]

He's been a showcase in EVOLVE since the reboot earlier this year, and so far that's about as big as he gets aside from spots on CZW shows.

[BillThompson]

All Pro Wrestling: Super Summer Series (06-12-2010) Timothy Thatcher vs. Vinny Massaro

 

Short but sweet match. Massaro surprised me, I'll readily admit I was guilty of judging a book by its cover. For a bigger guy he's able to go really well on the mat. He counter wrestles Thatcher early on and quickly takes an advantage and for the first time Thatcher is the one having a limb worked over. Massaro really goes after Thatcher's arm, employing some nifty arm slams and a really cool, and agile, Rolling Hammerlock. Thatcher makes his comeback, and he does a wonderful job of selling his damaged arm, All of his offense is from his uninjured arm. The finish is a bit out of nowhere, but for a short match having a KO finish that doesn't tie into any of the previous work isn't a real problem. Still, a short sprint with a lot of limb work that highlights the very best of Thatcher's skills in the ring.

[BillThompson]

All Pro Wrestling: Gym Wars (02-06-2010) Adam Thornstowe vs. Timothy Thatcher

 

Thornstowe can give as good as he can take and that added up to a pretty good match. This is the first out and out grappling match I've seen from Thatcher in quite some time. He always works grappling into his matches, but against Thornstowe the match becomes a question of who is the better grappler. To that end the opening moments of the match feature hold for hold grappling at a nice pace. They take their time, that's what I liked most about this match. They really let things breathe and that makes the moments like Thornstowe's Double Foot Stomp into a Senton mean that much more. It also helps that the finish is a natural continuation of what has come before and a near perfect capper to the match. Like much of the match it's a simple counter wrestling sequence that is executed well. Thatcher counters a Backslide attempt from Thornstowe and then grapples Thornstowe into position for a Backslide of his own to take home the victory. Very simple wrestling, but done really well and a lot of fun to watch.

[BillThompson]

Supreme Pro Wrestling: Unknown Event (02-20-2011) Jesus Kruze vs. Timothy Thatcher

 

This match is for Thatcher's SPW Heavyweight Championship.

 

Probably the most interesting Thatcher match I've seen yet. It's very much a Kruze match and not a Thatcher match in the way it is worked and laid out. However, the reason for that is due to Kruze being a very limited professional wrestler and Thatcher working to his style. There's one tiny section in the middle where Thatcher attempts to work over the arm, but it lasts a few seconds, is quickly stopped by Kruze, and makes sense. It's not so much that Thatcher was trying to insert his style of match but rather that Kruze was beating him by brawling and Thatcher made an attempt to take away Kruze's method of dominance.

 

Watching Thatcher engage in garbage brawling is, as I alluded to earlier, interesting. He manages to work in his European Uppercuts so that they work alongside Kruze's wild looping Punches. But mainly Thatcher bumps big for Kruze's power offense, including a Bearhug Slam into the gym wall where Thatcher leaves an indent in said wall. Bump away is what Thatcher does and he manages for the most part to make Kruze look far better than he actually is. In the end though Kruze is very, very limited and the match goes on far too long for someone as limited as Kruze.

 

The ending is also troublesome. Thatcher takes a steel briefcase shot to the head, which is yet another example of the underrated diversity Thatcher often brings to his matches. This followed a Thatcher Stretch and Thatcher ends the match with another Thatcher Stretch, which may be Thatcher's signature move but it does not fit the match in any fashion. This was a garbage brawl and it needed to end in a garbage way. It's unfortunate too because Thatcher spent so much of the match working to what Kruze could do but then in the final moment made the match about what he could do, which hurt the match.

[BillThompson]

All Pro Wrestling: Gym Wars (03-20-2010) Matt Carlos vs. Timothy Thatcher vs. Dave Dutra

 

This is a Triple Threat Elimination match for Dutra's APW Internet Championship.

 

Terrible, terrible match full of some of the worst triple threat spots I've seen in recent memory. The match can be broken down into two sections. In the first section all three workers grapple with one another simultaneously as they try, and fail, to get across some sort of "we're all trying to out-grapple each other" idea. The second section is your standard triple threat nonsense where one guy hits a move, is taken out by the second guy, and then the second and third guy wrestle for a bit while the first guy either lays on the ground knocked out or just stands by and idly watches the other two guys wrestle. It's all so meaningless, and badly choreographed, the first truly terrible match I've seen from Thatcher.

[BillThompson]

All Pro Wrestling: Gym Wars (01-16-2010) Dave Dutra vs. Timothy Thatcher

 

Another really good match between these two. Tack a few more minutes onto this and supply Dutra with more convincing offensive maneuvers and this could have been great. As is it's really good though, and a really neat mixture of Thatcher's mat based grappling and Dutra's flying based wrestling.

 

A match like this is the sort that really makes Thatcher stand out from the pack. There are a lot of elements at play that make this the Timothy Thatcher show. He's clearly the one calling the match, and while Dutra is game he's also very green and it is Thatcher who is leading him along. Like usual Thatcher's grappling is very impressive, but it's even more impressive that he's able to offer so much up to Dutra in the grappling game. In fact, Dutra looks like he belongs on the mat with Thatcher. He's clearly a few steps behind, but Thatcher puts together the grappling sequences so that they flow nicely and don't make Dutra look bad in any fashion. There's plenty of great bumping in this match, the sort that Thatcher doesn't always get the chance to bust out. He's always in the right spot, and he works really hard to make Dutra look as believable as possible. Thatcher takes all of these elements and puts them together in a way that gives the match its high quality.

 

That's not to say that Dutra doesn't contribute, because he certainly does. He sells the arm damage really well, and he does a terrific job of getting across the desperation he feels in avoiding the Thatcher Stretch. Offensively Dutra is at his best when he's flying, as he has a really nice Dropkick and he puts just the right amount of snap into his Reverse Elbows and Split-Legged Moonsault (complete with excellent delayed selling of the arm that leads to him missing said Moonsault). Where Dutra needs work is in his supposed high impact offensive moves. They lack true impact and ultimately they come across as empty flash.

 

A really good match, and a match that anyone who wants to give Thatcher a shot should really check out.

[BillThompson]

Supreme Pro Wrestling: Sacramento (08-21-2011) Sal Thomaselli vs. Timothy Thatcher

 

There's a definite sense that these guys are never on the same page and that really hurts the match. Thomaselli is fast and athletic enough to keep up with Thatcher, and there are times when he looks very good in his movements. However, for the most part this is a tale of two guys who are reading from the same book, but one is always a page or two ahead or behind of the other. This makes for some very odd sequences, such as when Thatcher goes to run the ropes but he doesn't time it right and thus he just stands still like an idiot for a few seconds and waits for Thomaselli to get into position and then runs the ropes as if nothing has happened. It's all very odd and very off, not the sort of match that gives one much to chew on.

 

I'll say this much, this is the sort of match that work's against my case for Thatcher as a top 100 guy. There will be matches where timing will be off, but Thatcher needed to do more to reign that element in and better deal with the timing issues. He shouldn't have looked as lost as he did at times, and thankfully I think this is an area he has greatly improved upon in the following years. If this match were to happen today Thatcher would do a much better job of rolling with the punches and improvising.

 

Alas, it doesn't really matter how much present day Thatcher has improved because he still has this performance in his ledger, and it's not a good one.

[BillThompson]

Supreme Pro Wrestling: Sacramento (01-16-2011) Mike Rayne vs. Timothy Thatcher

 

This is for Thatcher's SPW Heavyweight Championship.

 

For the most part this is an interesting test to see if Thatcher can produce a good match when he's forced to wrestle himself. Rayne is utterly useless, an embarrassingly bad professional wrestler. His offense is not fitted for his frame and he struggles so mightily with his Kicks that it's business exposing bad in its assisted choreography. There's never a point in this match when Rayne contributes anything worthwhile, and he even manages to botch the ending by attempting to do the after the three count kickout but kicking out too early.

 

As for Thatcher, he tries, but there's not much he can do. He does his usual stuff, he bumps for whatever the hell it is that Rayne's offense is supposed to. Still, Thatcher isn't really suited to be a one man show, and this match accentuates how good Thatcher is at giving to opponents and making them look good in the process. I really can't fault Thatcher for this match being as terrible as it is because he wasn't working with an actual professional wrestler.