A Chad Gable appearance for Game Changer Wrestling nearly happened in 2024, according to GCW promoter Brett Lauderdale, who revealed that the WWE star was booked to face Jonathan Gresham at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport X.
Taking to X, Lauderdale shared details of the scrapped plans, stating that Gable was supposed to compete at the event during WrestleMania 40 week in 2024. He posted a graphic that had been prepared for the matchup, showing that promotional artwork had already been created before the bout fell through. Lauderdale indicated that circumstances changed, though he did not detail a specific reason for the cancellation.
Bloodsport X was part of the Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport series, a GCW-affiliated show built around a strike-and-grappling-based hybrid rules style that has drawn a mix of WWE, AEW, independent and combat sports talent over the years. Had the match taken place, it would have marked Gable’s debut appearance for Game Changer Wrestling and put him in the ring with Jonathan Gresham, a wrestler known for his technical, mat-based style that fits well within the Bloodsport format.
Gable, a former WWE Intercontinental Champion, has built a reputation inside WWE for his amateur wrestling background and technical approach to the sport, qualities that would have made him a natural fit for the Bloodsport style of competition. Gresham, for his part, has competed extensively on the independent scene and has a history of appearances in technically driven matches, making the pairing a notable one for fans of mat-based wrestling even though it never came to fruition.
Neither Lauderdale’s post nor the subsequent reporting detailed why the match was ultimately scrapped, and no replacement bout or rescheduling has been confirmed. The revelation surfaces roughly two years after the planned match date, shedding light on a piece of WrestleMania week history that fans were previously unaware of. As of now, there is no indication that a Gable-Gresham matchup has been rebooked for a future Bloodsport event or any other promotion.
