Matt Makowski Says He Got Good Feedback From Bloodsport Bout Against Charlie Dempsey

Matt Makowski gives more insight into Bloodsport match against Charlie Dempsey. 

Charlie Dempsey made a surprise appearance at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport X, taking on Matt Makowski in a bout that wasn’t advertised before the event. Dempsey is signed to NXT, and wasn’t the only competitor from WWE to compete as Shayna Baszler, who was advertised, was also in action. 

Makowski is a former MMA fighter, making him the perfect candidate for Bloodsport, and was trusted in a big spot against a signed talent. 

Speaking to Jeremy Lambert & Joel Pearl on In The Weeds, Makowski gave insight into how he was feeling being in that spot. 

“That type of thought crossed my mind,” he said when asked about the trust put in him. “I’m very conscious of these people who are on television, have contracts, and are under the umbrella of a company. More so now than ever, they’re coming to do these smaller independent shows. They are potentially risking a lot. Anything can happen in any match, so that thought did cross my mind. This guy is coming to Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport and has a family pedigree. It was a whirlwind of a day. I barely had time to think of anything, I was on autopilot. I just went out there and did what I could do.”

Many from WWE were in attendance including WWE President Nick Khan and talent such as CM Punk and Karrion Kross. 

Asked if he got any feedback from his peers, Makowski said, “Josh really enjoyed it, which was probably the most important thing for me. It was definitely a special event. I don’t know if there has been an event like that where there was somebody from every single major wrestling promotion in the world on one show. It was a special event to be part of. There was a lot of WWE talent in the back and everyone was very complimentary. Those events are my wheelhouse. I’ve always done well when it comes to shoot style wrestling, maybe for obvious reasons. It was awesome, especially with it coming on so quickly. I was gearing up for AKIRA, who is very good at rallying people around him, and I’m the Philly guy, so I was getting ready to be booed in my hometown. The Charlie match switched, I had decent support, but obviously the fans were excited to see Charlie on Bloodsport. It was a good time.”

Makowski said he met various WWE talent at the show, but did not meet Nick Khan. 

Elsewhere during the interview, Makowski revealed that he learned he was facing Dempsey the day before the event. You can find his full comments by clicking here. 

Watch the full interview with Makowski in the video above.