Timothy Thatcher is making one promise ahead of Saturday’s match against Tracy Williams.
“I’ll be myself,” says Thatcher. “I have to be. I’m no good at being anybody else.”
This is a word of honor from Thatcher. When MLW’s Never Say Never show airs live on FITE on Saturday night, Thatcher will be wearing his boots and trunks, fighting at all costs to win.
In a world full of larger-than-life characters, Thatcher is an outlier. Perhaps to his own detriment. He doesn’t have a catchphrase. He’d prefer you don’t sing during his entrance to the ring and he isn’t seeking any sort of immediate reaction from his work in the ring.
“I’m doing it the way I think it should,” says Thatcher. “If it doesn’t make me a superstar, that’s O.K. That’s not why I’m here.”
Heavily influenced by the European style of wrestling, Thatcher is not looking to be an actor, but rather a true professional wrestler. Inspired by Japanese pro wrestling, he fights with all his spirit.
“The ones I looked up to, the task of victory was their focus—not who had the prettier outfit or the coolest catchphrase,” says Thatcher. “I’m not here for people to sing along. I’m here to make them feel something. That doesn’t always play to a mass audience, but for those it plays to, it sticks. That means more to me.”
Thatcher (who is 40-year-old Timothy Moura) spent the majority of 2020 and 2021 with WWE in NXT before his release in January 2022. During that stretch, he brought a different style to the worldwide leader in pro wrestling.
“They let me be me,” says Thatcher. “I am grateful for that.”
While his focus now is primarily in Japan with Pro Wrestling Noah, there are still opportunities to see Thatcher in the U.S. There is Saturday’s MLW bout, followed by next week’s Scenic City Invitational in Chattanooga. In February, he had a Ring of Honor match against Wheeler Yuta, as well as a one-on-one showdown on Dynamite against Bryan Danielson—a match specifically requested by Danielson.
“AEW, that was literally out of the blue,” says Thatcher. “It happened because Bryan Danielson wanted to wrestle me. For me, that was reason enough to fly from Tokyo to Dayton, Ohio for a day and back.”
Thatcher’s MLW match against Tracy Williams should be compelling. Williams was building momentum in ROH before it was sold early last year, which did not carry over under Tony Khan’s ownership. Yet that doesn’t change his skill. Thatcher and Williams will work a physical style, one that is not always on display in mainstream American wrestling.
“We have a shared mindset, and we can deliver something different: straightforward pro wrestling that is violent and aggressive,” says Thatcher. “This is going to be a competition.”
Before traveling back to Japan next month for Noah’s storied N-1 Victory tournament, Thatcher plans to make an impression against Williams at MLW’s Never Say Never.
His goal is for people to feel every punch, kick, suplex and submission hold, as well as his desire for victory.
“All I can be is me,” says Thatcher. “If I didn’t do it that way, it would be a disservice to all the hard work I’ve put in—and a disservice to all the people who helped me along the way with their time, effort, and knowledge.
“I’m a big punk rock fan. You play the music you want to play. If the audience comes, great. If they don’t, that’s O.K., too.”
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
