BillThompson Posted January 24, 2015 Report Share Posted January 24, 2015 Supreme Pro Wrestling: 13th Anniversary (04-21-2013) Cjay Kurz vs. Timothy Thatcher Really good contest, though Kurz flubbing a handful of spots stops this from being great. To be clear, he still connects in the spots he flubs, but they are Knees and Kicks that need to connect with Thatcher's head but end up hitting his chest instead. Thatcher is very, very good in this match, doing all the little things that make me like him so much as a pro wrestler. He works for things, and that makes all the difference in the world. He wants a Headlock, but Kurz turtles up, so instead of just squeezing a half locked in Headlock he grinds his elbow into the shoulderblades of Kurz, getting him to pop his head up so he can latch on a tight Headlock. There's also a sequence where he blocks a kick and Slaps Kurz in the head, and they repeat the sequence again. Then there's the finish where he takes a series of Kicks, and he leans into them so that they look far more vicious than they actually are. Perhaps that's another reason this match isn't great, it's more a series of great Thatcher moments than one cohesive whole. But, I'm not sure that's entirely true as for the most part Kurz is right there with Thatcher, albeit a few steps behind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bierschwale Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 I didn't love that match, I thought it was a little fish nor fowl. Ricochet was a little too grounded to break out too many cool spots, and Thatcher was limited by having to work around Ricochet's limits on the ground. Though both guys had better matches the next night Open question, but since I first saw the Danny Cannon-Kongo match on SC, do you think that Cannon might be the right type of flyer to put with Thatcher and get a really legit match out of it? His style of rolling in and out of spots seems like it'd play well to someone looking to torture him on the mat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 EVOLVE Wrestling: 35 (09-14-2014) Tracy Williams vs. Timothy Thatcher Williams is not very good, and try though he might Thatcher just can't help him to keep up. Very choppy stuff here, as Thatcher keeps leaving openings for Williams to do his own thing, but Williams insists on grappling with Thatcher. The result of that are sequences where Thatcher leaves himself exposed for unbelievable amounts of time, or where the chain of moves is executed super slow to allow Williams to try and keep up, though he usually fails. There are some nice moments like a Thatcher Butterfly Suplex and a wicked European Uppercut underneath the arm from Thatcher. However, there's also things like Williams forgetting mid-move whether he was going for a Snap Suplex or a DDT and awkwardly spiking Thatcher on his head as a result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted March 29, 2015 Report Share Posted March 29, 2015 EVOLVE Wrestling: 36 (01-09-2015) Timothy Thatcher vs. Ricochet Leave it to Ricochet to cause Thatcher to have a mediocre match. Thatcher tries from the very start, but it's pretty clear that Ricochet just can't keep pace with Thatcher no matter how much Thatcher dumbs down his grappling. So instead they turn it into more of a Ricochet match, which would have been fine had Ricochet not blown most of his spots, been out of position most of the match, and in general looked pretty terrible. I mean, you have Thatcher leaning into every Kick that Ricochet is throwing, and they still look like crap. Ricochet had plenty of openings, and yet his timing was always off and Thatcher was stuck standing around like an idiot waiting for Ricochet to get into place. Then the finish came, where apparently a Shooting Star Press to Thatcher's ankles is supposed to be a knockout blow. Apropos of the match, and Ricochet, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted March 29, 2015 Report Share Posted March 29, 2015 EVOLVE Wrestling: 37 (01-20-2015) Timothy Thatcher vs. Roderick Strong Read the review at Blue Thunder Driver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted March 31, 2015 Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 EVOLVE Wrestling: 39 (03-26-2015) Timothy Thatcher vs. Drew Gulak Very good match, but not great. The usual technical back and forth between these two, with lots of interesting and dynamic mat based reversals and counters. These two know one another really well, and it shows in how easily they are able to flow from one move to the next and always keep up the mirage that they are engaged in a struggle to win a match. Only thing lacking from this match was a second gear. There were a few moments where it seemed like it was about to kick in, but ultimately the match stayed in first gear. The result does a splendid job of setting up Gulak as a challenger for Thatcher when he's EVOLVE champion down the line. Oh, and I must have imagined all the cheering and chanting during the match, because I've been led to believe that Thatcher has no charisma and the fans sit on their hands during his matches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbo Slice Posted April 1, 2015 Report Share Posted April 1, 2015 Supposed to be the least of the three Thatcher matches that weekend for Evolve/WWN. The Hero match was crazy good on Saturday and I really enjoyed the Tommy End match on Evolve 40, which I'm sure is coming next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Supposed to be the least of the three Thatcher matches that weekend for Evolve/WWN. The Hero match was crazy good on Saturday and I really enjoyed the Tommy End match on Evolve 40, which I'm sure is coming next. Speak of the devil, EVOLVE Wrestling: 40 (03-27-2015) Tommy End vs. Timothy Thatcher Read my thoughts on Blue Thunder Driver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted April 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 I snuck in the Strong match. I hadn't seen him since 2004 I think and I haven't seen any other 2015 Thatcher yet. We've got an easter egg hunt in a few so there's no time for a full write up. Just bullet points. -What stood out the most to me was how there was a great sense of character with both wrestlers helping to decide everything they do. -The pre match promo led into a lot of the early match. I like that Thatcher's first real flurry was due to Strong glaring at hte crowd and getting shrugged off on a dropkick. -The impression I get is that Strong keeps getting free and getting a shot in because he's not trying to out wrestle him. He's not trying to prove anything like a lot of the guys who wrestle Thatcher are. He just wants to get some distance and get a quick shot in to keep control. He's real quick at putting his foot on the ropes or taking a shortcut. Or just hitting a cut off kick. They really get across the idea that Thatcher is so dangerous that if he just can string together a couple of moves you're dead. -I like Thatcher's selling on his comeback a lot. -The counter into the crab was clunky but at the same time, I loved Thatcher going for the punch to the arm to stop it while it was happening. -Definitely a match where both guys came out looking really strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted April 5, 2015 Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 World Wrestling Network: Mercury Rising '15 (03-28-2015) Timothy Thatcher vs. Chris Hero Read my review of a fantastic match at Blue Thunder Driver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted April 26, 2015 Report Share Posted April 26, 2015 EVOLVE Wrestling: 41 (04-17-2015) Timothy Thatcher vs. Roderick Strong This is a Two Out of Three Falls match. In a lot of ways this is a better part of a whole than it is a singular event. The happenings in EVOLVE Wrestling around this time time are really what provide the extra juice for the match. Thatcher is the new star, while Strong is the guy one step away from the title match. The result mattered more than the journey in this case, as the right guy went over and it created lots of opportunities for match-ups down the line. The match itself is really good, albeit a tad rushed. The three fall format would have worked better had the final two falls been given a bit more time. As is it feels like both guys are rushing through the final two falls to get to the finish. Still, there are some great moments in this match, and on the whole it's really good. The facials that Thatcher provides after Strong Knifehand Chops a steel pole; the absolutely sick Backdrop Suplex that Strong hits on the ring apron; the way they worked to the high spots, etc. Given a few more minutes this would have have been another MOTYC from these two, as is it's a really good match, and a vicious one at that, and there's nothing wrong with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 Westside Xtreme Wrestling: 16 Carat Gold '15 - Day 1 (03-06-2015) Timothy Thatcher vs. Axel Dieter Jr. This is a first round match in the 2015 WXW 16 Carat Gold Tournament. Opens promising, stays promising throughout but never shifts into that next gear. I liked how the opening matwork was built around Dieter not being skilled enough to hang with Thatcher but being too fast for Thatcher to handle. This led to some cool exchanges and moments like Thatcher gently stopping Dieter from certain transitions because he simply had better positioning. The middle is where the match really shines, specifically a brief three minute period where Thatcher goes after Dieter's arm. Unfortunately they veer away from that quickly and the stretch run is underwhelming. I think Dieter and Thatcher could have a great match together, but this one felt far too abbreviated and never got going like it should have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted June 16, 2015 Report Share Posted June 16, 2015 PREMIER Wrestling: VIII (06-07-2015) Timothy Thatcher vs. Marcus Lewis Read the review at Free Pro Wrestling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quentin Skinner Posted June 17, 2015 Report Share Posted June 17, 2015 I think Thatcher has easily been one of the most outstanding wrestlers in the world for 2015 so far, just outside of my top 10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted July 14, 2015 Report Share Posted July 14, 2015 Westside Xtreme Wrestling: 16 Carat Gold '15 - Day 2 (03-07-2015) Aaron Insane vs. Robert Dreiskker vs. Timothy Thatcher vs. Rotation vs. Sha Samuels vs. Michael Dante This is a Six Way Dance Match. Generic Six Way Dance; lots of spots with no meaning whatsoever behind them. Thatcher's inclusion is a complete waste of him, and his work in the match is barely worth writing about. Basically he takes a couple of nasty head drops off of a Vertical Suplex Neckbreaker and a Half Hatch Suplex, and that's it. Terrible match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted July 14, 2015 Report Share Posted July 14, 2015 Westside Xtreme Wrestling: 16 Carat Gold '15 - Day 3 (03-08-2015) Kim Ray vs. Timothy Thatcher vs. Daisuke Harada vs. John Klinger This is a Four Way Dance Match. Very disappointing, mainly because Ray and Klinger are awful and mediocre respectively. Thatcher looks pretty good here, though he seems out of place at times because he's never really comfortable in multi-man matches it seems. Harada is far and away the best man in the match. But, it's another match with a lot of meaningless spots and stupid bullshit that serves no purpose. WXW had a chance to book a single match between Harada and Thatcher. Instead they put them in a four way where they interacted with one another for maybe 45 seconds. Bad stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted July 25, 2015 Report Share Posted July 25, 2015 EVOLVE Wrestling: 42 (04-18-2015) TJ Perkins vs. Timothy Thatcher Read about it on Blue Thunder Driver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blehschmidt Posted July 25, 2015 Report Share Posted July 25, 2015 Perkins is a guy who just seems to be missing something that I have never been able to put my finger on. His work is fantastic, he has a good look, I've never heard him talk but like I said, there is just some connection that doesn't seem to be there that has stopped him from reaching that next level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomethingSavage Posted July 25, 2015 Report Share Posted July 25, 2015 Regarding Perkins, I always thought the same thing about Matt Sydal - and he still got a shot in the E. For my money, Perkins runs circles around a guy like that or just about anyone else of his size, to be honest. He's not necessarily a high-flyer by design, but that doesn't mean he can't do the stuff extremely well in his own right. Plus his actual grappling is outstanding, as noted. I realize that he's undersized, but that's hardly a strike against guys anymore these days. Plus I'd think that would allow him to slide into a Tyson Kidd (circa the babyface SD push) or Evan Bourne style role rather seamlessly if they gave him the chance.Perkins is still young enough. I'd legitimately like to see him get a shot in NXT at the very least, although I think the misstep with TNA might take awhile to recover from first. I sure hope not, especially now that there's the supposed connection with WWNLive as a feeder system. Hopefully it opens up an opportunity for him to get a look. Sorry to derail the talk away from Thatcher momentarily... This is his thread, but Perkins was mentioned. Might move this post over to the Modern Indie topic just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted July 26, 2015 Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 Beyond Wrestling: Battle of New England (08-31-2014) Jonathan Gresham vs. Timothy Thatcher Read about it on Blue Thunder Driver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl Posted July 29, 2015 Report Share Posted July 29, 2015 Watched the Hero match and enjoyed it a lot. The only thing I really wasn't keen on was Thatchers striking, which unlike everything else he did in the match, was really tame. Forearms, uppercuts and slaps all seemed really timid. I have not seen enough to know if this is just a thing with him, or it was just this match, but I certainly will watch more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted July 29, 2015 Report Share Posted July 29, 2015 Outside of his European Uppercuts he's not that good at striking, but usually he sticks to throwing the European Uppercuts which I really like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl Posted July 29, 2015 Report Share Posted July 29, 2015 Guess its not his primary area of concern...might need to re-watch again after seeing a few more matches of his. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl Posted July 30, 2015 Report Share Posted July 30, 2015 Will say something else about that Hero/Thatcher match...been thinking about it lots since I saw it yesterday....usually a good sign Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted August 11, 2015 Report Share Posted August 11, 2015 World Wrestling Network: Live in China - Day 2 (11-12-2014) Timothy Thatcher vs. Biff Busick Another good match between these two, although it is very by the numbers considering what these two are capable of. Because of that the match becomes more about the Chinese crowd and how they respond to what happens in the ring. Having seen this match done a few times previously, and much better in other settings, the fans reactions were interesting to take in. Busick rolls with the reactions and plays to the broad appeal that the crowd seemed to be clamoring for. He exaggerates all his mannerisms, his shouting, etc. Thatcher remains stoic, and almost grinds out reactions from the crowd. They don't pop as easily for him as they do Busick, but Thatcher is able to use timing to get the crowd hot at the right moments. So yeah, good match, but very interesting crowd reactions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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