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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 business is WWE-esque—a four-sided ring with cable ropes, with four sides, with muscle-bound men and women performing highly choreographed moves with no violence or blood involved.
While that may be true of most events that will take place in Las Vegas in the lead-up to WrestleMania 42, Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XV promises hard-hitting action and an event unlike any other.
First, there are no ropes around the ring in Bloodsport. Two competitors enter the intimate venue looking to beat the snot out of each other. Wrestlers go one-on-one with mixed martial arts-like rules. A winner is decided via knockout, stoppage or submission.
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Josh Barnett is cornered by Victor Henry before a bantamweight bout against Charles Jourdain during 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 when he took over production of the event under Brett Lauderdale’s Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) banner. He told Pakinomist Digital that he embarked on a journey to create matches that may never happen anywhere else.
“I think one thing about wrestling, or really anything, is that once something is established at a certain point, it starts to become the set standard, or the rope standard, where you find that pretty much 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 pro wrestling. So with Bloodsport, it’s not just what’s commonly referred to in the industry as a shoot or as a similar MMA or kind of more realistic style, but mainly I think the thing was that it strips wrestling down to its rawest, purest form.
“For me, I want Bloodsport to be a place, whatever you think about it, but you should probably try to capture the fans first, but I built Bloodsport in a way, the most enticing for wrestlers, to make them want to be there and be a part of this, especially because if, in my mind, we were able to do what I hoped, there would be a will of a very high caliber from all over the world. or athletes in general who would be willing to train BloodSport, even though we’re an indie show because it’s me.
PANDEMONIUM: PRO WRESTLING KICKSTARTS WRESTLEMANIA WEEK OF HARD-HITTING ACTION IN LAS VEGAS
Charlie Dempsey and Joe Hendry compete during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., on August 12, 2025. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE)
“And I wanted to take advantage of that in the sense of doing something that seems so desirable to them that they didn’t that they really just wanted to do it considering that it’s a lot less of a sandbox than what they’re used to and I figured from there that’s where you’re going to get the fans, you’re going to be able to do things here with athletes and matchups that you can’t find anywhere else and never will. not going to find Masashi Takeda vs. Pete Dunne. That’s not possible anywhere else. But by being so much more raw and aggressive, we’re the hardest hitting event in pro wrestling.
Finding a professional wrestler that fits what Barnett is looking for is not easy.
However, the event has been successful in bringing wrestlers and even MMA fighters to the canvas. WWE stars such as Dunne, Nattie Niedhart and Charlie Dempsey, All Elite Wrestling Champion Jon Moxley, and even Barnett himself have participated in BloodSport throughout the show’s history.
Barnett relishes the opportunity to allow other professional wrestlers to show a different side of themselves that fans may not have been able to see elsewhere.
WEST COAST PRO TO SHOWCASE WRESTLING IN ITS ‘RAWEST FORM’ WITH RISING WOMEN’S STAR OVERALL
Josh Barnett looks on during New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 19 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on January 4, 2025. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
“It’s really important that you have a proper understanding and skill set before you go into a type of fight like this. And honestly, I think it keeps the talent pool small, which I knew was going to be a problem going into this, but that’s OK,” he told Pakinomist Digital. “I also saw it as an opportunity to showcase maybe wrestlers that people haven’t seen as much or weren’t as aware of, simply because they fit like a glove in this, and maybe in some of the other shows, or the more typical wrestling shows, they feel like they’re more reserved and not able to use that side of themselves, or it doesn’t register as well in the other environment.
“Here, they can be something completely different. It’s been like a lot of people who have even come from WWE, you’ll 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 at times when possible, like a Frank Muir or Rampage Jackson.”
Barnett will be among them in action in what promises to be an incredible lineup.
Matt Mako vs. Angel Verduzzo
Ulka Sasaki vs Joe Dashou
Zack Saber Jr. vs. Ray Jazz
Erick Stevens vs. Fuminori Monkey
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 all matches are going to be the same in any way, shape or form.”
Bloodsport XV is set for Friday at the Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas at 3 p.m. PT.
