Major name discusses reason for bringing WWE star Shayna Baszler to rival promotion

A prominent wrestling figure clarified the reason behind Shayna Baszler’s ability to compete for a non-WWE organization.

Last month, it was announced that Baszler will be making her GCW debut at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport X event in Philadelphia on April 4. This event is part of GCW’s “The Collective”series, which will feature multiple shows at Penns Landing Caterers during WrestleMania week.

In an interview on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, Barnett revealed the details of how he was able to secure The Queen of Spades for his GCW show.

“Hopes and prayers, they actually did line up for once,”Barnett said. “I have a relationship with WWE and I have for some years. Shayna being one of my athletes, but I’ve actually trained and worked with a lot of athletes that have had time in WWE like Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Tim Thatcher just to name a few. Just through that communication, now just seemed to be the right opportunity and they were completely amenable to sending her over. I was obviously overjoyed to be able to have my student and to have somebody that’s a WWE talent in my show.”[00:00 – 00:42]

Shayna Baszler to Take on Masha Slamovich in Highly Anticipated Match at Bloodsport X

The news broke a few weeks ago that Shayna Baszler is set to face off against Masha Slamovich at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport X. This will mark Baszler’s return to non-WWE competition for the first time since July 21, 2017, when she emerged victorious over Mia Yim at AIW Absolution XII.

Baszler has been honing her skills under the guidance of Barnett throughout her mixed martial arts and pro wrestling journey. Under his tutelage, she achieved a 15-11 record in MMA and attained a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In August 2017, she joined WWE and has since claimed the NXT Women’s Championship twice and the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship three times.

Meanwhile, Slamovich is a current member of GCW and holds the title of JCW World Champion. Prior to this, she competed for Impact/TNA Wrestling and achieved success as she and Killer Kelly won the Knockouts World Tag Team Championship on two occasions.

As a WWE Superstar, Shayna Baszler’s involvement in the upcoming matchup adds to its historical significance and makes it a highly anticipated event in a week filled with exciting wrestling matches.