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LAS VEGAS – The average sports fan who thinks about professional wrestling probably has the idea in their head that everything in the industry is like WWE — a four-sided, cable-surrounded ring with four sides, featuring muscular men and women performing highly choreographed moves without violence or blood.
While that may be true for most events taking place in Las Vegas leading up to WrestleMania 42, Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XV promises hard-hitting action and an event like no other.
For one, there are no ropes around the ring in Bloodsport. Two competitors enter the intimate room and look to have fun with each other. Wrestlers compete one-on-one with rules similar to mixed martial arts. A winner is determined by knockout, referee stoppage or submission.
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Josh Barnett stands in Victor Henry’s corner before a bantamweight bout against Charles Jourdain at the UFC Fight Night event at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta on November 2, 2024. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Barnett helped establish what the event is today by taking over production of the event under Brett Lauderdale’s Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) banner. He told PK Press Club Digital that he embarked on a journey to create matches that might never happen anywhere else.
“I think one thing about wrestling, or anything, is that once something is established at a certain point, it starts to become the established norm, or the rope norm, where you find that almost everywhere you go and nothing else,” he explained. “And it’s always good to have something else to offer that still falls into the same category as professional wrestling. So with Bloodsport, it’s not only what’s commonly referred to in the industry as shoot-around or MMA or some sort of more realistic style, but mostly I think the problem is that it reduces wrestling to its rawest, purest form.
“For me, I want Bloodsport to be a place that, no matter what you think about it, but you should probably try to capture the fans first, but I built Bloodsport in a way that was most appealing to the wrestlers, to make them want to be there and be a part of it, especially because if, in my mind, we were able to do what I was hoping for, there would be very high caliber wrestlers from around the world who would be willing, or athletes in general, who would be willing. to do BloodSport, even though we’re an independent series, because that’s me.
PANDEMONIUM: PRO WRESTLING KICKS OFF WRESTLEMANIA WEEK WITH TOUGH ACTION IN LAS VEGAS
Charlie Dempsey and Joe Hendry compete during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida on August 12, 2025. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE)
“And I would take advantage of it in the sense of creating something that seemed so desirable to them that they really didn’t want to do it given that it’s a much smaller sandbox than what they’re used to and I thought from there you’ll have the fans, you’ll be able to do things here with athletes and matchups that you can’t find anywhere else and you’re never going to get. You’re not going to find Masashi Takeda versus Pete. Dunne. Plus, that is not possible anywhere else. It will never happen. But by being something much more raw and aggressive, we are the most impactful event in professional wrestling for a reason.
Finding a professional wrestler who fits the mold of what Barnett is looking for isn’t easy to find.
However, the event managed to attract wrestlers and even MMA fighters to the canvas. WWE stars like Dunne, Nattie Niedhart and Charlie Dempsey, All Elite Wrestling Champion Jon Moxley and even Barnett himself have competed on BloodSport in the show’s history.
Barnett appreciates the opportunity to allow other professional wrestlers to showcase another side of themselves that fans might not have been able to see elsewhere.
WEST COAST PRO TO PRESENT WRESTLING IN ITS “RAWEST FORM” WITH RISING WOMEN’S STAR HEADLINER ITS MAIN EVENT
Josh Barnett attends New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 19 at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on January 4, 2025. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
“It’s really important that you have a good understanding and skill set before you go into a type of match like this. And honestly, I mean it keeps the talent pool small, which I knew was going to be a problem before this, but it’s no big deal,” he told PK Press Club Digital. “I also saw it as an opportunity to maybe feature wrestlers that people haven’t seen as much or weren’t as aware of just because they fit like a hand and a glove into this, and maybe in some of the other shows, or in the more typical wrestling shows, they feel like they’re more held back and not able to use that side of themselves or it doesn’t register as well in that other environment.
“Here, they can be something completely different. It happens that a lot of people that even come from WWE, you see them in BloodSport. It’s like, ‘Wow, who is this person? I’ve never seen them before.’ Well, it’s always been there, it’s part of who they are and where their ability as a wrestler comes from. It also allows us to bring in MMA fighters from time to time when possible, like Frank Muir or Rampage Jackson. »
Barnett will be among those in action in what promises to be an incredible lineup.
Matt Mako vs. Angel Verduczo
Ulka Sasaki vs. Joe Dashou
Zack Saber Jr. vs. Ray Jaz
Erick Stevens vs. Fuminori Abe
Miyu Yamashita vs. Janai Kai
Shane Mercer vs. Royce Isaacs
Masashi Takeda vs. Pete Dunne
Timothy Thater vs. Charlie Dempsey
Nattie Neidhart vs. Shayna Baszler
Josh Barnett vs. Yuji Nagata
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Zack Saber Jr. enters the ring during New Japan Pro-Wrestling at Edion Arena Osaka in Osaka, Japan on February 11, 2026. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
“I think there’s a lot of potential for some breakout matches on this card with the level of talent involved. And not every match will look the same in one way or another.”
Bloodsport XV takes place Friday at Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas at 3 p.m. PT.
