LOS ANGELES — For the past year, Joe Hendry has been doing a lot of moving. Constantly on the go, not giving himself much time to think.
So, when he sat inside the Galen Center as TNA Wrestling prepared for its Rebellion pay-per-view, he actually paused and thought about everything that’s transpired in the past 365 days.
It’s quite a list: He became a viral sensation thanks to his catchy entrance song. He was in the main event of Slammiversary 2024. He made an anticipated crossover to WWE with a thunderous debut in NXT in June, and for extra measure, appeared in the main event match of NXT No Mercy 2024. He won the TNA World Championship in January, and the same month, was the surprise entrant in the 2025 men’s Royal Rumble match.
Just when it seemed like Hendry had done all he could do, he reached another mountain top; he was the mystery opponent for Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41, becoming the first champion from a non-WWE company to appear at its grand event in 27 years.
Not a bad year for a guy critics believed would be a one-hit wonder. Instead, the world has found out what happens if you say his name; he not only appears, he makes history.
“I’ve been fortunate to be part of so many things that would have seemed previously impossible,” Hendry told USA TODAY Sports. “I feel like we’re really doing something unprecedented and breaking new ground.”
It wasn’t a surprise Hendry was in Las Vegas for WrestleMania weekend, since TNA held Unbreakable 2025 in the city and he was going to make appearances at WrestleCon. But he didn’t anticipate his weekend ending with him performing at WWE’s flagship event.
A week before WrestleMania 41, Hendry got a call from WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque. He figured it was going to be about doing a promo somewhere, but was completely thrown off when Levesque brought up that Orton didn’t have an opponent for the event due to Kevin Owens’ injury. The decision was for Hendry to take the spot.
Hendry was an initially shocked. Orton was someone he loved watching when he was starting his wrestling career. Now there was a chance to have a match with him? He couldn’t turn down something he didn’t think could happen even in his wildest dreams.
“I immediately said yes to the opportunity, and then it just became about understanding there’s a job to be done, and I will do the job to the best of my ability,” he said.
It could have been nerve-wracking for Hendry, stepping up to the plate in a grand event like WrestleMania. But Levesque’s trust in Hendry to take the honor gave him confidence and faith in himself.
There was plenty of speculation as to who Orton would face, but Hendry wasn’t really a name being considered — even though he was the surprise at the Royal Rumble.
That’s why when the doors finally opened on the WrestleMania stage, that sweet melodic tune played and Hendry’s face was plastered on all of the jumbotrons inside Allegiant Stadium, the crowd and viewers around the world went into a frenzy.
When Hendry does his signature spin to reveal himself to the crowd, the first thing he always does is look around the venue and soak in the atmosphere. This was the biggest crowd he’d performed in front of, with more than 60,000 people in the stadium. He was overwhelmed by the rousing support and thousands singing “I Believe in Joe Hendry.”
“It felt like a literal, physical wave of energy that was pushing against me,” he said. “I’ll never forget that feeling. It was like a wave of energy. It’s hard to put into words what that felt like, making that walk down the ramp. It took me probably about 30 seconds to a minute to just calibrate.”
After that shock, Hendry still had the job of competing in the match. He got some shots in against the future WWE Hall of Famer, but Orton had little trouble. He pulled out his vintage move set, and when Hendry did his spin toward the camera in the ring, “The Viper” pulled off one of the top moments of the weekend with an RKO out of nowhere.
Orton got the victory, and after the match he gave Hendry his flowers for stepping up to the plate. But in true Orton fashion, he surprised him with another RKO before he did his own version of Hendry’s spin.
There have been varying opinions on the match. Some praised Hendry for stepping up and the entertainment it provided, but others thought the match was unnecessary, took away from the event and made Hendry look weak as TNA’s top guy.
Hendry said he just wanted to do “the absolute best job” he could in his role and he felt like he delivered.
“The RKO from out of shot was just one of the iconic moments from that weekend. That’s what I wanted to achieve, was to have people talk and have some excitement,” he said. “ I was really proud of that.”
Even though he had a WrestleMania match, the thing that stood out from the weekend for Hendry was the respect he felt from the big names in the business. Orton applauded him, he spoke with Stephanie McMahon and he was able to have a conversation with John Cena, someone that was influential to him becoming a wrestler. Cena shared words of advice with Hendry after the Royal Rumble.
Cena noted that Hendry followed the exact advice he gave him in February, and turned it into a brilliant performance. He also told Hendry he believes Hendry is “going to be a major player in the industry.”
Levesque was a little more direct with his vision of Hendy’s future, picturing more WrestleMania appearances for “The Prestigious One.”
“He’s got a bright future, and I was really, really happy that we could put him in this spot and showcase him for everybody, on a bigger platform in the world,” Levesque said at the WrestleMania 41 press conference. “I told him right before he walked out, I said, ‘You will be here again, so enjoy this one, because the pressure gets heavy from here, this will be the easiest WrestleMania you ever do, and you will do more.’’
Safe to say there are plenty of people who believe in Hendry.
What’s next for Joe Hendry?
As the top champion in TNA, there’s a heavy responsibility to represent the company. For Hendry, his plan of bringing the prestige up is working, capitalizing on the partnership it has with WWE. WrestleMania was just another way to help bring more attention to his home.
“This title reign is about big business, and it’s bringing eyeballs and building TNA wrestling,” Hendry said. “I’ve seen the indicators of what that performance will do for TNA Wrestling. So I know that it was the right thing to do.
“The sky’s the limit regarding the growth of TNA Wrestling.”
There’s no limit to Hendry’s aspirations, either. It’s almost as if he knew his moment in Las Vegas would come. After the Royal Rumble, he told friends he thought he could do WrestleMania. Months later, it came to fruition.
Hendry has done more things in one year than most wrestlers do in their entire career. But he isn’t satisfied with just one shining moment. He’s already on to the next thing, including appearing in NXT more and possibly facing Trick Williams.
There’s also a bigger goal he has his sights on. He wouldn’t divulge what it is – because what’s the fun in that? – but it appears to be something even bigger than WrestleMania, if that’s possible.
“I have a ridiculous goal in my mind right now, and I won’t say what it is,” he said. “I think it’s gonna happen. I think I’m gonna get the thing that I’m fighting for.”
It’s anyone’s guess as to what it could be, but one thing does come to mind: Hendry has been vocal about wanting to face Cena. It could certainly be a match against the 17-time WWE Champion in his final year of wrestling.
So don’t think the best of Hendry has happened. As far as he’s concerned, the standing ovation has only just begun.
