8 months ago
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Last week ended with a surprise for the wrestling world, when Josh Barnett's Bloodsport announced that WWE's Shayna Baszler would be working the show on April 4, just days before WrestleMania 40. The move signaled a change from WWE, which has often not allowed its talents to take independent bookings, and also made Bloodsport an event where wrestling fans could see both AEW and WWE talent on the same independent event, with AEW/ROH's Johnny TV, who is scheduled to face Barnett, Marina Shafir, and Lady Frost all announced for the event.
It may not just end with those four talents either. On the latest "Wrestling Observer Radio," Dave Meltzer speculated that more AEW talent would be announced for Bloodsport, confirming the show will feature a mix of talent from the two top promotions in the US. Though Meltzer noted that several promotions had been unsuccessful in securing AEW talent for other events, AEW/ROH talent can still be found performing throughout the weekend, including Bryan Keith, Nick Wayne, and Billie Starkz all being scheduled for DDT's event hours after Bloodsport. AEW/ROH owner Tony Khan will also hold ROH Supercard of Honor on Friday, April 5, featuring many names from both AEW and ROH.
Even still, independent promotions that have been unable to book AEW talent are said to now be looking into reaching out to WWE, hoping to have similar luck in booking WWE talent as Bloodsport did. While it remains unclear whether or not that will work, Baszler's announcement on Friday was preceded by a report that suggested multiple talents from WWE would be working on Bloodsport, suggesting that there is more to come with that story.
