Tag: gcw

Tavion Heights vs. Royce Isaacs added to Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Another member of the No Quarter Catch Crew will be wrestling at Bloodsport.

On Friday, Josh Barnettย  posted a video featuring Tavion Heights announcing that he will be taking on Royce Issacs at Bloodsport XIII. Heights questioned if Issacs was โ€˜man enoughโ€™ to fight him.

Earlier in the day, Issacs had posted a video asking Heights if he “had the minerals” to step up to him. After he got his response, Issacs responded on social media.

โ€œOfficial. I asked for it. I got it. Nothing left but to win the damn thing,โ€ he wrote.

Charlie Dempsey, who was also seen in the video, has already been announced as facing former Pride fighter Shinya Aoki. Earlier in the day, it was announced that Shayna Baszler would be facing Konami.

Josh Barnettโ€™s Bloodsport XIII (Thursday, April 17) โ€”

  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Jonathan Gresham
  • Karrion Kross vs. JR Kratos
  • Shayna Baszler vs. Konami
  • Natalya vs. Miyu Yamashita
  • Pete Dunne vs. Timothy Thatcher
  • Leyla Hirsch vs. Jordan Blade
  • Charlie Dempsey vs. Shinya Aoki
  • Karmen Petrovic vs. Maika
  • Tavion Heights vs. Royce Issacs

Shayna Baszler vs. Konami added to Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Shayna Baszler is returning to Bloodsport for a match during WrestleMania 41 week in Las Vegas.

Game Changer Wrestling and Josh Barnett revealed today that Baszler will be in action against Stardom wrestler Konami at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII on April 17. After Konami called Baszler a dream opponent, Baszler cut a promo promising that Bloodsport will be a nightmare for her.

“Konami, you and I both come from the MMA world. In fact, we both trained with Megumi Fujii, arguably the greatest female fighter of all time,” Baszler said. “The difference between you and I is, although Bloodsport is in your DNA, I was born from Bloodsport. You said in a recent interview that I was a dream match of yours. The reality is: this match will be a nightmare.”

Baszler was the first-ever WWE talent booked for a Bloodsport show in 2024, and WWE wrestlers have continued to compete at the Bloodsport events that have taken place since. Baszler has a 2-0 record in Bloodsport with victories over Masha Slamovich and Miyu Yamashita. In WWE, Baszler is on the Raw roster and was featured on this week’s episode of WWE Speed.

Konami is making her Bloodsport debut against Baszler. The show is being held at the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Casino Resort in Vegas. It will stream live on TrillerTV+ with a start time of 11 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Pacific.

There have been eight matches announced for the card so far:

Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII (Thursday, April 17) —

  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Jonathan Gresham
  • Karrion Kross vs. JR Kratos
  • Shayna Baszler vs. Konami
  • Natalya vs. Miyu Yamashita
  • Pete Dunne vs. Timothy Thatcher
  • Leyla Hirsch vs. Jordan Blade
  • Charlie Dempsey vs. Shinya Aoki
  • Karmen Petrovic vs. Maika

A matchup between Tavion Heights and Royce Isaacs has also been set up but not officially announced yet.

NXT vs. Stardom matchup set for Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII

Posted on by Joseph Currier

An NXT vs. Stardom matchup is the newest addition to the card for Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII.

NXT’s Karmen Petrovic will face off against Stardom wrestler Maika at the April 17 Bloodsport event in Las Vegas. Presented by Josh Barnett and Game Changer Wrestling, the show is happening on the Thursday of WrestleMania week. It will air live on TrillerTV+.

Coming off a victory over Sumie Sakai last November, this will be Petrovic’s second time competing at Bloodsport. Maika is making her Bloodsport debut.

Petrovic joined the WWE Performance Center in 2022 and has a background in karate. Maika made her pro wrestling debut in 2019 and is a multi-time champion for Stardom.

Barnett hyped the match by questioning whether Petrovic’s karate style or Maika’s judo skills will prevail:

In addition to Petrovic wrestling at Bloodsport, WWE wrestlers Natalya, Pete Dunne, Karrion Kross, and Charlie Dempsey will be competing. There have been four matches confirmed so far. The show has a start time of 11 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Pacific.

Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII (Thursday, April 17) —

  • Pete Dunne vs. Timothy Thatcher
  • Leyla Hirsch vs. Jordan Blade
  • Charlie Dempsey vs. Shinya Aoki
  • Karmen Petrovic vs. Maika
  • Natalya vs. Miyu Yamashita

Participants revealed for ‘Senior Scramble’ at Joey Janela’s Spring Break

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Six competitors are set to take part in the first-ever “Senior Scramble” match at Joey Janela’s Spring Break 9.

After first announcing the match earlier this week, Joey Janela has revealed that the Senior Scramble will be a six-way match featuring wrestling legends Ricky Morton, Doug Gilbert, George South, The Warlord, “Action” Mike Jackson, and Tommy Rich. The rules stipulated that all participants must be at least 55 years old.

Jackson is the oldest wrestler in the match at 75 years old, while Gilbert is the youngest at 56.

Janela and Game Changer Wrestling are presenting the Spring Break event on Friday, April 18 during WrestleMania week in Las Vegas. Streaming live on TrillerTV+, the show has a start time of 10 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Pacific. It’s being held at the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Casino Resort.

Here is the updated card:

  • Sabuโ€™s final match: Joey Janela vs. Sabu
  • The Wagner Family (Dr. Wagner Jr., El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. & Galeno del Mal) vs. Los Desperados (Gringo Loco, Arez & Jack Cartwheel)
  • Minoru Suzuki vs. Matt Tremont
  • Megan Bayne vs. Bozilla
  • Loser Leaves GCW match: Atticus Cogar vs. Fuego Del Sol
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. 1 Called Manders
  • Gabe Kidd vs. Mance Warner
  • JCW World Champion Masha Slamovich defends against Suzu Suzuki
  • Senior Scramble: Ricky Morton vs. Doug Gilbert vs. George South vs. The Warlord vs. Mike Jackson vs. Tommy Rich

First match official for Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The first match is official for Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII to take place on WrestleMania week, and it features a WWE talent.

WWE wrestler Natalya, advertised as Nattie Neidhart for the Bloodsport card, will take on Japanese star Miyu Yamashita at the event set for Thursday, April 17 in Las Vegas.

Barnett promised the first match announcement for the event on Wednesday, with a series of social media posts from Neidhart and Barnett used to confirm the Neidhart vs. Yamashita matchup.

Yamashita is a Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling regular who has held that promotion’s Princess of Princess Championship on four occasions, and twice held their Princess Tag Team titles.

Neidhart is one of several WWE wrestlers advertised for the Barnett and GCW co-promoted Bloodsport XIII event. NXT’s Charlie Dempsey and Karmen Petrovic have both previously taken part in Bloodsport events and will also return for the April 17 show. Main roster talent Karrion Kross and Pete Dunne will also take part in the event.

Bloodsport XIII will stream as a Triller TV pay-per-view on Thursday, April 17 at 11 p.m. Eastern time.

WWE NXT wrestler Charlie Dempsey announced for Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII

Posted on by Ethan Renner

WWE NXT wrestler Charlie Dempsey is returning to Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport for its WrestleMania week event.

Barnett announced in a social media post Tuesday that Dempsey will be in action at Bloodsport XIII set for Thursday, April 17. It will be the fourth Bloodsport event for Dempsey, who was also featured on the three most recent Bloodsport cards in 2024.

Bloodsport is a co-promotion between Barnett and GCW. The April 17 show will stream live on Triller as a pay-per-view from The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas

WWE is sending Dempsey, and Karmen Petrovic from the NXT brand, and main roster talent including Natalya, Karrion Kross, and Pete Dunne to take part in Bloodsport XIII in Las Vegas. Zack Sabre Jr., Leyla Hirsch, Miyu Yamashita, Konami, Royce Isaacs, Maika, Shinya Aoki, David Modzmanashvili, Simon Gotch, Tom Lawlor, and Timothy Thatcherย are among the independent talent also set for the show.

Barnett posted in announcing Dempsey:

A modern wrestler who seems like a someone who has stepped out of the past with his Catch-as-Catch-can skills and approach. Lighting suplexes, limb wrenching submissions, and the ability to scramble in and out of position like the best of them – Is it any wonder that he’s making his 4th return to Bloodsport? Not in the least. Charlie Dempsey – Josh Barnett’s: Bloodsport XIII. Get your tickets now!

First-ever ‘Senior Scramble’ booked for Joey Janela’s Spring Break 9

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A first-of-its-kind match is set to go down at Joey Janela’s Spring Break 9.

Only featuring wrestlers who are at least 55 years old, the first-ever “Senior Scramble” has been added to the card for the Friday, April 18 Spring Break event in Las Vegas. No participants have been confirmed yet, but there figures to be plenty of options for surprise entrants with so many legends in town for WrestleMania weekend.

Joey Janela hyped that this will be “the oldest combined age in one match” in pro wrestling history.

Presented by Janela and Game Changer Wrestling as part of The Collective 2025, Spring Break will take place from the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Casino Resort in Vegas and will stream live on TrillerTV+.

The updated card is listed below:

  • Sabuโ€™s final match: Joey Janela vs. Sabu
  • The Wagner Family (Dr. Wagner Jr., El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. & Galeno del Mal) vs. Los Desperados (Gringo Loco, Arez & Jack Cartwheel)
  • Minoru Suzuki vs. Matt Tremont
  • Megan Bayne vs. Bozilla
  • Loser Leaves GCW match: Atticus Cogar vs. Fuego Del Sol
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. 1 Called Manders
  • Gabe Kidd vs. Mance Warner
  • JCW (Jersey Championship Wrestling) World Champion Masha Slamovich defends against Suzu Suzuki
  • The first-ever Senior Scramble

Karmen Petrovic announced for Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Karmen Petrovic is returning to Bloodsport.

Josh Barnett announced on social media that the NXT star will be making her return in Las Vegas on April 17 during WrestleMania weekend.

“She had an incredible Bloodsport debut, using her karate champion skills to land a lighting like KO. Now looking again to step in to the hardest hitting event all of Professional Wrestling, put her shin to someone’s chin, and once again stand alone as the victor. Karmen Petrovic is returning to Josh Barnett’s: Bloodsport!,โ€ he wrote.

Petrovic reacted to the news on social media.

โ€œwhat better way to kick off wrestlemania weekend than the GOLD BLOODED @ BLOODSPORT XIII. las vegas.. welcome to the #SHINGSHING SHOW,โ€ she wrote.

Petrovic had previously made her debut for Bloodsport last November, when she defeated Sumie Sakai by TKO.

WWE talent already scheduled to appear on the show include Natalya, Pete Dunne, and Karrion Kross. Other talent include Miyu Yamashita, David Modzmanashvilli, Tom Lawlor, Timothy Thatcher, Simon Gotch, Shinya Aoki, and Jonathan Gresham.

Karrion Kross to compete at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Another WWE name is slated to compete at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII in Las Vegas.

Karrion Kross will be in action at the MMA-inspired pro wrestling show on April 17, which is the Thursday of WrestleMania week. He’s back for his third GCW Bloodsport event after previously competing twice in 2019 before he was signed to WWE.

“A man from the very beginning of Josh Barnett’s: Bloodsport is coming back to hone his killer instinct,” Josh Barnett hyped. “What better place in the world then, than the kill-or-be-killed mat of Bloodsport XIII? Say hello again to Karrion Kross.”

Kross has a 1-1 record in Bloodsport with a victory over Nick Gage and a loss to Davey Boy Smith Jr.

An opponent for Kross this time has not been named yet. He posted a tweet this afternoon looking ahead to his return.

Natalya and Pete Dunne are the other WWE wrestlers that have been booked for the show. No matches have been confirmed so far, but Zack Sabre Jr., Miyu Yamashita, Maika, Konami, Jonathan Gresham, Tom Lawlor, Timothy Thatcher, and Gabe Kidd are among the other wrestlers set to compete. Bloodsport will air live on TrillerTV+ with a start time of 11 p.m. Eastern/9 p.m. Pacific.

Kross is also making an indie appearance this weekend, facing off against Alex Hammerstone at Future Stars of Wrestling’s Chris Bey benefit show on Sunday (March 23).

Gabe Kidd match added to Joey Janela’s Spring Break

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The latest addition to the Joey Janela’s Spring Break 9 card features NJPW star Gabe Kidd in action.

Kidd will face off against Mance Warner when Spring Break takes place in Las Vegas on Friday, April 18. It’s a rematch of their bloody brawl from GCW/JCW Jersey J-Cup 2025, which lasted over 30 minutes and ended in a no contest when the referee called off the match. There must be a winner this time.

It’s also been announced that Kidd will be competing at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII in Vegas, but an opponent for him has not been named yet. Bloodsport is happening on April 17.

The Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Casino Resort is hosting Game Changer Wrestling’s events during WrestleMania week. Spring Break has a start time of 10 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Pacific airing live on TrillerTV+.

Seven matches are now official for Spring Break (with three more still to be announced):

  • Sabuโ€™s final match: Joey Janela vs. Sabu
  • The Wagner Family (Dr. Wagner Jr., El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. & Galeno del Mal) vs. Los Desperados (Gringo Loco, Arez & Jack Cartwheel)
  • Minoru Suzuki vs. Matt Tremont
  • Megan Bayne vs. Bozilla
  • Loser Leaves GCW match: Atticus Cogar vs. Fuego Del Sol
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. 1 Called Manders
  • Gabe Kidd vs. Mance Warner

Pete Dunne announced for GCW Josh Barnettโ€™s Bloodsport XIII

Posted on by Ian Carey

Pete Dunne has been announced for GCW Josh Barnettโ€™s Bloodsport XIII.

Dunne is the second WWE wrestler set for the event, which takes place on Thursday, April 17, 2025, at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas. Natalya was announced for the event earlier this month.

Barnett revealed the news Wednesday, writing, โ€œA โ€˜Strong Styleโ€™ Englishman, from the tough, industrial city of Birmingham. He has no problem trading blows or submission holds – wherever the fight goes, this ‘Bruiserweight’ wrestler is up for it. Pete Dunne is coming to Josh Barnett’s: Bloodsport XIII.โ€

In addition to Dunne and Natalya (as Nattie Neidhart), Zack Sabre Jr., Leyla Hirsch, Miyu Yamashita, Konami, Royce Isaacs, Maika, Shinya Aoki, David Modzmanashvili, Simon Gotch, Tom Lawlor, and Timothy Thatcher are advertised for the show. No matches have been announced yet. The show will air live as a pay-per-view on Triller TV.

Dunne is coming off a series of matches against Penta onย WWE Raw. He lost two singles matches to Penta last month on the show, then lost a triple threat match to Penta that also included Ludwig Kaiser. His most recent WWE match was a win over Cruz Del Toro at aย Main Eventย taping on March 3.

Zack Sabre Jr. match booked for Joey Janela’s Spring Break

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Zack Sabre Jr.’s match for Joey Janela’s Spring Break 9 is now official.

Game Changer Wrestling has booked Sabre vs. 1 Called Manders for the April 18 show in Las Vegas. It’s being promoted as Manders’ biggest opportunity yet with him having the chance to go toe-to-toe against one of the best wrestlers in the world.

Manders — a GCW regular and former MLW Tag Team Champion — is on a tour of Europe right now but will be returning in time for this match. He won wXw’s 16 Carat Gold tournament in Germany earlier this month and is coming off a loss to Michael Oku for RevPro that earned him praise from Will Ospreay.

“I would love Manders to remain in the U.K. He brings something so unique to the sport and hopefully one day he would make it over Japan next,” Ospreay tweeted. “The guy has IT.”

Sabre lost New Japan Pro Wrestling’s IWGP World Heavyweight Championship to Hirooki Goto this February and just had his run in the New Japan Cup ended by David Finlay in the semifinals.

In addition to Spring Break, ZSJ will be working Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII and Effyโ€™s Big Gay Brunch 10 for GCW during WrestleMania week in Vegas. Sabre vs. Kidd Bandit is set for the latter show. His Bloodsport opponent has not been named yet.

Here is the updated Spring Break card:

Joey Janela’s Spring Break 9 (Friday, April 18 live on TrillerTV+ at 10 p.m. Eastern/7 Pacific)

  • Sabu’s final match: Joey Janela vs. Sabu
  • The Wagner Family (Dr. Wagner Jr., El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. & Galeno del Mal) vs. Los Desperados (Gringo Loco, Arez & Jack Cartwheel)
  • Minoru Suzuki vs. Matt Tremont
  • Megan Bayne vs. Bozilla
  • Loser Leaves GCW match: Atticus Cogar vs. Fuego Del Sol
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. 1 Called Manders

WWE ID championship tournament to begin on WrestleMania week indie shows

Posted on by Ethan Renner

WWE has announced that the tournament to crown the first WWE ID champions will begin at a pair of independent shows the week of WrestleMania 41.

In a social media post Monday, WWE announced that the ID Championship Tournament will kick off with opening round matches at the GCW event scheduled for Wednesday, April 16 at The Collective at The Palms in Las Vegas. More opening round matches will take place at the FSW event on Friday, April 18 at the FSW Arena.

WWE announced the men’s and women’s ID Championships last month. The tournament winners will defend the titles on the indies.

Match announcements for the tournament were not made, and whether both the men’s and women’s tournaments will kick off at the same time was not made clear. The social media post listed the following talent as being booked for both the GCW and FSW events in question:

  • Sean Legacy
  • Zayda Steel
  • Ice Williams
  • Jackson Drake
  • Swipe Right (Brad Baylor & Ricky Smokes)
  • Zara Zakher
  • Cappuccino Jones

The WWE ID program was announced last October and entails WWE partnering with indie promotions and training schools. Wrestlers signed to the WWE ID program receive some form of financial support from the company, plus access to WWE training facilities.

Leyla Hirsch to compete at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A wrestler who recently departed AEW is the latest addition to the Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII lineup.

Leyla Hirsch will be competing at GCW’s Bloodsport event in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 17, though no opponent for her has been announced yet. The show is taking place from the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Casino Resort and will stream live on TrillerTV+,

“Returning to Josh Barnett’s: Bloodsport is a cold blooded killer,” Josh Barnett tweeted while hyping Hirsch’s addition to the Bloodsport card. “A machine without empathy that legitimately thrills in the destruction of her opponents.”

The 28-year-old Hirsch departed AEW when her contract expired at the end of February. Her last match for the promotion took place at ROH Final Battle in December 2024.

This will be Hirsch’s first time wrestling at Bloodsport since 2020, when she lost to Lindsay Snow.

No matches have been announced for Bloodsport XIII yet, but Zack Sabre Jr., WWE star Natalya, Miyu Yamashita, Maika, Jonathan Gresham, Tom Lawlor, and Timothy Thatcher are among the talent that will be competing at the MMA-inspired pro wrestling show.

Zack Sabre Jr. announced for Bloodsport, two more GCW Collective events

Posted on by Joseph Currier

One of NJPW’s top stars is heading to Las Vegas next month to compete at Game Changer Wrestling’s The Collective.

GCW has announced that Zack Sabre Jr. will be in action at three of their shows in Vegas: Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII (April 17), Joey Janela’s Spring Break 9 (April 18), and Effy’s Big Gay Brunch 10 (April 19). Sabre vs. Kidd Bandit will take place at Big Gay Brunch, but his Bloodsport and Spring Break opponents have not been revealed yet.

The three shows are happening on Thursday-Saturday of that week and will air live via TrillerTV+.

This is Sabre’s Bloodsport debut. Josh Barnett called him “one of the most dangerous submission artists” in wrestling and “a man who paints a canvas of pain with his opponents.”

Sabre debuted for GCW with three matches in 2023 and just recently returned to the promotion for a couple of shows earlier this month, defeating Fuego Del Sol and Mance Warner.

In February, Sabre dropped the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship to Hirooki Goto after a nearly four-month reign. Sabre is competing in New Japan Cup 2025 looking to get another shot at the title.

GCW works with other indie and international promotions to present The Collective during WrestleMania week every year. DDT, Tokyo Joshi Pro, Defy, and PROGRESS are some of the promotions that GCW is collaborating with for the 2025 version of the event.