Image: Jacob Cohen
While we knew back in January that Josh Barnett made his TNA debut during a set of TV tapings, the former UFC heavyweight champion made his debut official Thursday night on this week’s Impact Wrestling against Bad Bones.
As you can see, the match was relatively short and one that Barnett won handily by submission. He moves on to face TNA Champion and Bellator MMA heavyweight Bobby Lashley on next week’s edition of the show in, essentially, a UFC vs. Bellator match.
If you just can’t wait, here’s your spoiler.
The 39-year-old is currently on the MMA shelf as he was notified in December of an out-of-competition potential anti-doping violation by USADA. He last was seen submitting Andrei Arlovski in a September headliner in Germany.
Barnett has a history of pro wrestling dating back to 2003 when he began work in New Japan Pro Wrestling and later the IGF. He last wrestled in 2011 on a DREAM New Year’s Eve event, but focused on MMA competition in Strikeforce and the UFC since then.
As of now, it’s unclear what Barnett’s future is with the company, but with March’s set of tapings fast approaching, we’ll likely find out soon.