Josh Barnett has now fully opened up on why he decided to bring Bloodsport to an end, removing any mystery around the promotion’s future.

Following his victory over Yuji Nagata at Bloodsport XV, Barnett confirmed the concept would be shut down. Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show on April 20, 2026, he stressed the move had nothing to do with controversy or backstage issues.

“Well, I wasn’t trying to make a big deal out of it. I didn’t want to come off as a gimmick, or I didn’t want people to think, ‘Oh, they’re just doing this for the purpose of drumming up interest,’ or that it’s insincere.”

Barnett made it clear there was no negative situation forcing his hand. Instead, the decision was rooted in the long term direction he always had in mind for Bloodsport and the reality that it had not yet reached that level.

“Essentially, what I said was it wasn’t for anything negative, it wasn’t a bad thing, there wasn’t a tragedy or any major overarching issue or problem in that sense. For me, Bloodsport had an evolution of where it was trying to get to.”

He expanded on how the concept was never designed to operate like a typical independent wrestling promotion, pointing to its unique presentation and talent requirements.

“That wasn’t going to be a traditional indie wrestling path, especially because I don’t think Bloodsport is really made for indie wrestling in the way that a lot of indie wrestling is done.”

Scheduling also became a major hurdle. Barnett explained that the frequency of events, particularly under Game Changer Wrestling, did not align with what Bloodsport needed to preserve its identity. The specialised talent pool required for the format made it difficult to sustain that pace.

“Brett’s on the road day in and day out, every weekend, and this show is not for that. We wouldn’t have the talent to keep up with it because we can’t just book anybody on this show.”

Barnett believes the project still had more to achieve creatively, but continuing under the current structure risked diluting what made it special. That concern ultimately led to the decision to end it now rather than see it decline.

“And we’re just not there, we’re not close. So, for me, it was better to end it now than to keep going and quite possibly diminish what the product is or run it down before we had a chance to really get to where I felt like it would’ve been at its best.”

He also addressed the financial and operational side of things, noting that building Bloodsport into his full vision would require significant expansion behind the scenes. While outside investment was explored, it did not lead to a workable outcome.

“Well, we need more capacity, we need more office, we need more employees, and a lot of things. This isn’t the indie wrestling way, we’re not trying to be AEW, NJPW, or WWE.

We don’t have that kind of money. Yes, I did. I had a great-looking pitch deck, it didn’t lead to where I needed it to.”

Even with funding, Barnett made it clear there were compromises he was not willing to make, particularly when it came to creative control. He firmly rejected the idea of anyone else continuing Bloodsport without him.

“It’s not as simple as having money either, because if someone is going to put money into something, there’s always going to be some want on it. For one, if I’m doing Bloodsport, it’s 100% full creative control, final cut, no ifs or buts. There’s no one else. I’ve seen some people like, ‘Oh, how about someone else’s Bloodsport?’ I’m like, no. This is my show, my concept. I know how it started, but from day one, what it’s been, Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport, it’s not the same thing. It’s got a different ethos behind it.”

He reinforced that stance by making it clear the concept cannot simply be passed on or replicated under a different vision.

“This is my baby, and no, I’m not giving it to someone else. I’m not transferring it. It doesn’t work like that. If it can’t be what it needs to be, and how I know it needs to be to get to where I want it to go, it’s just better to call it done.”