Josh Barnett is putting an end to one of the biggest rumors surrounding Bloodsport — the idea that WWE has any say in how his shows are run.
After years of bringing in WWE talent like Nattie Neidhart, Charlie Dempsey, and others for his Bloodsport events, Barnett addressed the ongoing speculation that WWE has some kind of behind-the-scenes control over what happens on his shows whenever their talent is involved.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Barnett made it clear that idea is completely off base. Before getting into WWE’s role — or lack of one — Barnett first shut down another theory that had started floating around about Bloodsport’s recent booking decisions.
“For one, closing the show had zero to do with WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia next year. It had zero to do with WWE ever telling me to do anything, or whether I’m going there or they’re going to do this—nothing.”
From there, Barnett directly addressed the bigger claim that WWE has input on his shows whenever its wrestlers appear, and he didn’t leave much room for debate. Barnett also pushed back on fans who keep running with that idea anyway, making it clear he has no interest in entertaining a narrative he says is flat-out false.
“Here’s something—WWE has never, not once, told me what to do, how to do anything, or had any input on the show ever. I know—whatever—if you want that narrative to exist in your head so you can hate WWE, then hate or love whatever you want. I don’t give a shit, and neither does WWE. But if that match is booked, it’s booked the way I want it to be—straight up.”
Barnett also took issue with the way some fans react when wrestlers they claim to support show up under the Bloodsport banner while being signed elsewhere. In his view, he’s giving those wrestlers a platform to show something different, not limiting them.
“I personally take great offense when wrestlers that you liked or really enjoyed—then you lament how, if they’re in WWE or wherever they may be, you feel like they’re not used right—I then bring them in to run however they want in this ring, to let it all hang out, because they have some particular letter attached to where they’re wrestling—and now you hate them.”
He also laid out why the WWE relationship exists in the first place, pointing to connections that go back years rather than any new corporate arrangement. Barnett added that WWE’s interest in letting talent appear isn’t about controlling the show — it’s about letting its wrestlers work and improve.
“My connections—whether they’re with WWE, AEW, or NJPW—with WWE, those relationships I’ve established over a decade, because I’ve had athletes in that company for 20 years. So I know Triple H and others from way back. Then I got to know Nick Khan. They want to do business too, and they want their wrestlers to succeed. I don’t mean go out there and win—they just care that their talent go out there and get reps.”
In the end, Barnett circled back to the main point and made his stance impossible to miss: nobody is leaning on him, and nobody from WWE is steering Bloodsport.
“There is zero pressure over the top of me. No one forces me what to do—so cut that whole narrative out. It’s pointless and wrong.”
With WWE talent having appeared in Bloodsport over the years, Barnett’s comments draw a hard line between business relationships and creative control. According to him, the company trusted him with its wrestlers — but once they stepped into Bloodsport, the show was still his.
Do you believe Josh Barnett when he says WWE has zero input on Bloodsport, or do you think there’s more going on behind the scenes? Drop your thoughts in the comments.
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