chris dickinson

Chris Dickinson On Facing Minoru Suzuki At Bloodsport: I Love And Respect Him, But I Have To Crush Him

By Colin Tessier

Chris Dickinson is determined to prove that the third time’s the charm at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 8.

“The Dirty Daddy” has faced Minoru Suzuki twice; they clashed at NJPW Showdown in Philadelphia last October, and they met again at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 7, but Suzuki emerged victorious both times. Still, plenty has changed since the last time the two men were in the same ring. Dickinson has been sidelined since November with a severe leg injury, as he dislocated his leg out of its socket. He has been training hard ever since, and facing Suzuki in his first bout back will be the perfect way to test himself.

In a new interview with WrestleZone, Dickinson previewed this match and made it clear that he’s fired up and ready for battle. He looked back to his previous encounter with Suzuki at noted that, with just a few tweaks, the outcome might have been different. He went on to emphasize his confidence and stating that, while he loves and respects Suzuki, “The Dirty Daddy” will be standing tall when it’s all said and done.

“I’ve just had so many months to rest, and I’m just so full of piss and vinegar,” said Dickinson. “I’ve been working on my striking. I feel like honestly when it came to grappling and wrestling, I mean, I don’t think Suzuki was really able to keep up. He could slow me down, but I was just so on him, especially in that Bloodsport match, I feel like if I just tweaked some things around and improved some of my striking, I’m honestly really looking to bust his ass up. I’m just saying. I’m really looking to take it to him. I’m not losing this one. There’s no chance. So I’m going in there with the mindset to win. I’m going in there with the mindset to kill. I’ve been watching him the last few weeks, a couple of matches, man, he never, ever, ever turns off.

“I’ll say this, I love that man, I respect him, he is such an inspiration to me, he always has been, he always will be. But he’s my enemy and I have to absolutely crush him in that match and I’m gonna take it to him because that’s a big test. A lot of guys won’t come back from injury and just jump right back into a match like that, and that’s the beauty of pro wrestling. He is such an amazing pro wrestler and such a contributor to everything that is now of mixed martial arts, of everything you know as MMA.”

Dickinson then stated that it’s still an honor to share the ring with Suzuki, but because this bout will be their third, he’s focused on the task at hand, and that’s picking up the victory he’s been chasing for a while now.

“Just to be able to step into a ring with somebody like Minori Suzuki, this is like my third match with him, so I’ve wrestled him a lot and obviously it’s a huge honor for me, but honestly at this point, it’s past that,” said Dickinson. “It’s past the honors and past the respect, and I’m looking to go in there and absolutely crush him and just push him down for sure. That’s for real.”

“The Dirty Daddy” went on to reflect on his previous matches and described how both were quite special. He explained that their first contest was on the day of his father’s funeral, and it also marked his first NJPW main event. Dickinson then noted that their second match at Bloodsport 7 was also remarkable, but with two losses to Suzuki, he feels like this third chapter is his final chance to prove himself.

“The first time I wrestled him was really surreal because it was the day of my father’s funeral so that was definitely a little bit of an emotional night,” said Dickinson. “And it was something. That was the first time I ever main evented a New Japan card in Philadelphia and it was sold out, and it was awesome. It was special, but I didn’t come away with the W. And then we did it again at Bloodsport in California, and that was awesome.

“And again, I didn’t come away with the W, so it’s kind of at this point where I think I kind of have one more chance to really prove myself. But it’s cool to be able to step into the ring with him, but I think it’s past that point. At this point, it’s like you know, I gotta really turn it up a few notches because I gotta get that W, it’s really important.”

Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 8 is at 4 p.m. EST on March 31, and it’s part of GCW’s The Collective, a weekend full of events in Dallas. Other noteworthy bouts on the card include Jon Moxley vs. Biff Busick, Josh Barnett vs. JONAH, and John Hennigan vs. Simon Gotch.

Dickinson is set to face Matt Cardona at Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6 Part 2, and he’ll also face Tomohiro Ishii at NJPW Lonestar Shootout.

RELATED: Chris Dickinson Recalls Masato Tanaka Telling Him ‘No Stitches’ After Getting Cut Open Against Nick Gage

Colin Tessier
Colin Tessier

Colin Tessier is a lifelong fan of all things Marvel and DC, and he has used this passion to write about them for several years. Likewise, having been a fan of wrestling since he was a kid, he also covers professional wrestling. You can find him on Twitter at @ct_2110.

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