Joe Hendry Confirms Years of Talks With Josh Barnett for Bloodsport Match

Joe Hendry might be known for his charismatic entrances and musical flair, but underneath the theatrics is a legit grappler who once had his eyes set on the raw, no-ropes brutality of Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport.

In a recent interview with Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, Hendry opened up about his martial arts background and how it shaped his wrestling career. While he’s leaned into his showmanship on screen, Hendry has the real combat skills to back it up—and he’s still itching to prove it on one of the toughest stages in the indie wrestling scene.

“I started Judo at like six years old. I quit around 13 to do acting classes, and then I got into music. When I was about 18 or 19, I got back into judo pretty seriously. I was one of the training partners for — there was a really high-level team there. I never went to the Olympics or anything like that, but I was trained with those guys fairly frequently.”

“I got to a pretty decent level at judo, got my black belt, moved on, did university, and then, after becoming a pro wrestler, I was very dissatisfied with the way I was being booked at the time. I was like, ‘Right, I have to go out there and legitimize myself.’ At 26, 27, I went out there and started amateur wrestling and won the freestyle and Greco-Roman championships in Britain. Competed in the Commonwealth Games as well.”

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That grappling experience gave Hendry an edge in the ring—literally.

“Yes. I knew how to bump immediately because of Judo. That was a huge advantage. Just the way that I wrestle now, it is very much for the biggest reaction from the audience and to drive the story forward. I do a lot less of the mat wrestling that I used to do, and I miss it sometimes, and I’m just waiting for the right moment to reintroduce it to show people what I can actually do with grappling.”

When asked about the possibility of competing at Bloodsport, Hendry didn’t hold back. He revealed that talks with Josh Barnett have been going on for years—and the regret of not stepping into that environment still lingers.

“Yeah, I would love to have done it. Unfortunately, there was a period of time where I wanted to do it but Bloodsport wasn’t ready to have me. Then, everything blew up and then we just couldn’t make the dates work out after that.”

“To be fair, he did say, ‘You’re on the list man.’ We just didn’t get to the point where it matched up. I’m super sad that I didn’t get to do it. I would love to do Bloodsport. If there’s one independent wrestling show that I could do, it would be Bloodsport. Me and Josh Barnett have been talking about this for years now. I would love to make it happen. I think people would see a different side of me, I think it would be super fun.”

With WWE’s recent push to let talent wrestle outside promotions under special circumstances, fans are wondering if Hendry’s Bloodsport dream could finally become reality. And if it does, it’s not just another booking—it’s a return to his roots.