Barnett Answers Riddle: "Conversations That Never Happened"
Summary: Josh Barnett replied on X on Thursday, Nov. 12, to Matt Riddle's claim that he created Bloodsport. Barnett said Riddle's 2018 show was not his and that their last meeting did not go as Riddle said. Danny Demanto said neither man was in the original creative process.
The quick version
- Barnett posted on X on Nov. 12 that he and Riddle had not discussed Bloodsport at their last meeting and that he had "nothing to do with" Riddle's first show, per Fightful.
- Riddle posted on Nov. 11 that the rules, idea and name were his. Wrestler and promoter Danny Demanto replied the same day that neither man was part of the original creative process, per Wrestling Inc.
- GCW has named no date, venue or card for Bloodsport Reborn. We found no reply from Riddle to Barnett's post.
Josh Barnett answered Matt Riddle's claim that he created Bloodsport in a post on X on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, Fightful's Jeremy Lambert reported. Riddle had written on Wednesday, Nov. 11, that the rules, the idea and the name came from him. Barnett's reply denies one part of Riddle's account and agrees with another. Our earlier story on Riddle's post has what Riddle wrote. We did not open either post. The quotes below are as printed by Fightful and Wrestling Inc.
What Barnett wrote
Barnett opened with "Let's go with conversations that never happened for $500 Alex." He said the last time he and Riddle saw each other was backstage at Natural Born Killers and "none of that was said." Riddle had said Barnett told him at WrestleMania that there would be no more Bloodsport shows.
Barnett also wrote: "What you did say here that was correct is that I had nothing to do with your initial show, which is why it looked second rate at best compared to what I've created." He said that when GCW approached him, he told them Riddle's version was "unsuitable" and needed to be "completely overhauled," and that he would not use the logo, font or music from the film Bloodsport, which he said they did not own. He wrote that there is "only one Josh Barnett's: Bloodsport." Those are his opinions of Riddle's show. Riddle has not answered them in anything we read.
The third voice
Wrestling Inc reports that Danny Demanto, a wrestler and promoter who it says played a key role in creating the event, posted on Nov. 11 that "both Matt Riddle & Josh Barnett weren't apart of the original creative process for Bloodsport" [sic]. Demanto added that he was "here for it" if GCW's Lauderdale uses this to bring Bloodsport back to its "original vision." Demanto's post is his own account. We have not confirmed it with him or anyone else, and neither Riddle nor Barnett has responded to it in what we read.
Where the numbers differ
The outlets do not agree on how many Bloodsport shows Barnett ran. Fightful says 15 events under the name. Wrestling Inc says 17 editions, citing a Barnett post from Nov. 10 that says Bloodsport "is a 17 event show, over 7 years." Our earlier stories say Bloodsport XV was the last show, in April. We use no count here.
Where it stands
GCW announced Bloodsport Reborn on Nov. 9 with the words "coming soon." It has given no date, venue or card. Barnett said on Nov. 9 that he was shopping his version of Bloodsport to investors. See our story on that interview. Fightful says every Bloodsport show carried GCW branding. Who holds the rights to the name has not been reported.
Source: Fightful's story (Jeremy Lambert), read in full, for Barnett's post of Nov. 12 and the history. Wrestling Inc.'s story (Nishant Jayaram), read in full, for Barnett's Nov. 10 post, Riddle's post of Nov. 11 and Demanto's post. We did not open any of the posts and did not contact Barnett, Riddle, Demanto or GCW. Nothing in this story is a rumor: it reports what each man said, not who is right.
Sources
- Fightful (Jeremy Lambert), "Josh Barnett Gives His Side Of Using 'Bloodsport' After Matt Riddle", Nov. 12, 2026, 3:49 pm, no time zone shown (Barnett's Nov. 12 reply, the 15-event count, the GCW branding). https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/josh-barnett-gives-his-side-of-using-bloodsport-after-matt-riddle/
- Wrestling Inc. (Nishant Jayaram), "Josh Barnett & Ex-WWE Star Matt Riddle Provide Differing Takes On Bloodsport Origins", Nov. 12, 2026, 10:30 AM EST (Barnett's Nov. 10 post with the 17-event line, Riddle's Nov. 11 post, Demanto's Nov. 11 post). https://www.wrestlinginc.com/2314462/josh-barnett-wwe-matt-riddle-differing-takes-bloodsport-origins-gcw/
- Josh Barnett, post on X, Nov. 12, 2026, as embedded by Fightful. No link: we did not open it.
- Danny Demanto, post on X, Nov. 11, 2026, as embedded by Wrestling Inc. No link: we did not open it.
- WrestlingNews.com, "Riddle Says Barnett Did Not Create Bloodsport and Does Not Own It", Nov. 11, 2026. https://wrestlingnews.com/story/riddle-says-barnett-did-not-create-bloodsport-and-does-not-own-it/
- WrestlingNews.com, "Barnett Says Bloodsport Is Shopping for Investors", Nov. 10, 2026. https://wrestlingnews.com/story/josh-barnett-says-bloodsport-is-shopping-for-investors/
- WrestlingNews.com staff reporting: read the Fightful and Wrestling Inc. stories in full and checked them against our two earlier Bloodsport stories. We did not contact the people named.
How we credit sources: Editorial standards.