Josh Barnett Explains Decision To Put Bloodsport On Hiatus

Josh Barnett announced the indefinite hiatus of Bloodsport over the weekend, shocking both fans in attendance at the event at the Horseshoe Las Vegas, as well as those watching from home. Barnett made the announcement in the ring after his main event victory over Yuji Nagata, and said he was "shutting shop" while fans still loved everything they do, and while they have their pride and integrity in place.

On Monday, Barnett appeared on "The Ariel Helwani Show" to talk further about his decision to end Bloodsport after 17 events, after he took the helm from Matt Riddle in 2019. He said he wasn't trying to make a big deal out of the announcement, and didn't want it to come off like he was trying to drum up attention. He said he feels like he made the right choice.

"For me, Bloodsport had an evolution of where it was trying to get to, and that was not going to be a traditional indie wrestling path," he explained. "Especially, because I don't think Bloodsport, it's not really made for indie wrestling in the way that a lot of indie wrestling is done."

He said that he was trying to build Bloodsport with a concept that he could get to a point where they were running shows at the frequency of a promotion like GCW, but they don't have the talent to keep up with that, and they can't book just anyone on their shows.

Barnett spoke a lot about the decision, which he said had been in the back of his head for "some time," and stemmed from his idea of what Bloodsport's evolution should have been. He said it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, and he thought very deeply about it.

"Everything that I was building upon with this concept was to be able to try and get it to that point, to where I felt like it could really be put together in the best format and in the best way possible to give it its ability to flourish at its best," he said. "We're just not there. We're not close. For me, it was better to end it now than to keep going on and, quite possibly, diminish what the product is or run it down before we had a chance to really get where I really feel like it would have been at its best."

Barnett said he was trying to bring on corporate sponsors, and sponsors in general, to build toward his ultimate example, but it just didn't happen. He said while there's always a possibility of doing that, he had a timeline and his goals weren't met. He explained they'd need more capital, more employees, and more to flourish.

"From what I'm feeling and the way I'm seeing things, it's like, 'Alright. It's just gotta be done then for right now,'" Barnett said. "Or, I mean, I don't know, but it is over. It is not like I'm doing a hiatus... It's closed, unless things can be done to get us to where we need to go."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Ariel Helwani Show" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.