Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport returns April 17th.
For those who don’t follow the unique format, Bloodsport started in 2018 under Matt Riddle’s name. Once Riddle signed to WWE, the event was turned over to former UFC fighter Josh Barnett. The rules are quite simple: every match will end either by knockout or submission. Instead of the traditional pro wrestling ring, the canvas has no ropes or turnbuckles.
This year’s show is scheduled for Las Vegas the week after WrestleMania. Thus far, Tom Lawlor, Miyu Yamashita, Tim Thatcher, and David Modzmanashvili have been confirmed for the upcoming show. Add former WWE and MLW star Simon Gotch to the list.
This isn’t the first time Gotch has competed in Bloodsport. His last event was in 2022 where he lost to John Hennigan (aka Johnny TV). Gotch has competed at eight of these events in total, with his record being mixed. The 42-year-old is notable for his time in NXT as a member of The Vaudevillains (with Aiden English) and the duo actually become NXT Tag Team Champions!
Unfortunately, once Gotch was called up to the main roster, it was clear from the beginning that Vince McMahon didn’t see much value in the tag team as they were quickly put into jobber status. Gotch was released from the company in 2017, and has been mainly working the independent scene ever since. Most of his work has been down in Major League Wrestling, but Gotch also worked in TNA/Impact, Juggalo Championship Wrestling, and House of Glory. As of this writing, Gotch’s match has yet to be made official.
Bloodsport should be an exciting event. The last show in November had plenty of big names including current AEW star MVP, who fought Josh Barnett himself. The TNA Knockouts title was defended as Masha Slamovich successfully beat Lei Ying Lee. Josh Alexander, Mike Bailey, and NXT’s Charlie Dempsey all worked the show as well.
There’s no word on whether TNA or NXT will have much involvement this time around, though the show doesn’t need such names to be entertaining. We’ll keep you updated when more names are announced for the annual Game Changer Wrestling show.