For the first time in WWE history, someone on the active roster will be participating in a GCW show–and it’s happening during Wrestlemania weekend. Former WWE Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler will be participating against an unnamed opponent for Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport for GCW. This is the GCW debut for the star, who has also held MMA titles and has a 15-11 record.
The news was revealed first by Fightful that WWE stars will be participating in the event, with Barnett revealing it will be longtime associate Baszler that will break through the barrier.
What does it mean when a Queen takes up the sword and marches to war?
Blood. Victory. Glory.
From battlefields all over the world – MMA & the @ufc , @WWENXT , @WWE , @wwr_stardom , and more – to now step into a ring she was made for from the beginning.
The Warmaster’sβ¦ pic.twitter.com/DKBbW2VTh8β πΏππ πππππππππ (@JoshLBarnett) March 15, 2024
“You people merely adopted Bloodsport. I was born in it, molded by it,” Baszler responded from her own Twitter account. “From Billy Robinson, the gene seed of the Warmaster himselfβ¦..BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!!”
This will be the tenth Bloodsport event and the ninth hosted by Barnett, taking over from Matt Riddle. Soon after Baszler was announced, another participant was revealed as the ever-adapting John Morrison, now known as Johnny TV, and going by Johnny Bloodsport for the occasion.
Baszler’s involvement with another pro wrestling promotion is the latest signal to WWE and broader wrestling fans that the company is operating with a new mentality. Earlier this year, TNA champion Jordynne Grace participated in WWE’s Royal Rumble, as WWE continues to knock on–if not yet break through–the so-called Forbidden Door.
