Josh Barnett says he had no idea GCW was bringing Bloodsport back. Responding on X to a fan who joked that they weren’t consulted either, Barnett wrote “You and me both” after GCW teased Bloodsport Reborn on Monday night.
GCW’s announcement was two lines, “the legacy continues” and “Bloodsport REBORN,” with no date, venue, card or mention of Barnett. The event is billed simply as Bloodsport Reborn, not as “Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport,” the name the shows carried through Bloodsport XV in Las Vegas in April.
Barnett Was Shopping Bloodsport Elsewhere
The timing makes the reply sharper. Hours before GCW’s post, Barnett said on The Ariel Helwani Show that he has been shopping Bloodsport around while looking for investment. “We’ve had some good bites,” he said, adding that he’s open to finding an investor or group to get it going again.
Barnett also made clear he doesn’t consider Bloodsport dead, but he put a condition on its return. “I would rather it sit buried,” he said, than see it done at anything less than the level he’s aiming for. He said he won’t let it be cannibalized or ruined by people who are less capable or less invested than he is.
How Bloodsport Got Here
Matt Riddle started Bloodsport in 2018, and Barnett took over the concept in 2019 after Riddle signed with WWE. The no-ropes, worked shoot style became a WrestleMania weekend staple with talent from WWE, AEW and NJPW, and GCW ran shows from New Jersey to Tokyo to London. In April, Barnett announced at Bloodsport XV that the series was done for the foreseeable future, though not for good.
When he closed it down, Barnett said on The Ariel Helwani Show that Bloodsport was his concept and would not be revived under another name. That makes the “Reborn” branding, and the absence of his name from it, the open question.
GCW hasn’t said whether Barnett will have any role, or when Bloodsport Reborn will happen. The company does have shows on the calendar in December, including Highest in the Room 5 in Los Angeles and For All The Dogs in Mesa.
