TNA World Champion Joe Hendry made his presence felt at the WWE Royal Rumble and has opened up about backstage interactions.
Hendry appeared in the men’s Royal Rumble match on February 1, 2025, entering at number 15 before being eliminated by Roman Reigns.
Speaking to Denise Salcedo in a recent interview, Hendry spoke about interactions with the likes of CM Punk, Cody Rhodes and John Cena, among others.
Hendry would reveal that he had an in-depth conversation with Cena, before discussing talking with Rhodes, Punk and others, saying:
“I really enjoyed having an in-depth conversation with John Cena. I also got to talk with Cody Rhodes. Someone I’ve wrestled before and who was instrumental in helping me get my job with Ring of Honor. I had a great chat with CM Punk—he gave me some solid advice.
“Meeting Paul Heyman was another cool moment. I didn’t want to assume he knew who I was, but we had a great conversation. He’s obviously a legend in the business. Working with Shane Helms was fantastic—we got on really well.”
Reflecting on the partnership between WWE and TNA Wrestling, Hendry also revealed how there were “friendly faces” working together, noting:
“There were so many friendly faces. WWE and TNA have been working together with open arms on both sides. I’ve been made to feel so welcome, and I know everyone else has too. It’s just been a phenomenal partnership.
“I know that there are thousands of people who would love to be in that spot, and I never take it for granted.
“It was also nice to see a lot of the Scottish wrestlers I came up with in WWE. I hadn’t seen them in a long time, so that was great. And seeing TNA stars go to NXT and vice versa has been incredible. It’s added tremendous value to both companies.
“I’m just very grateful for these opportunities because so many people give their lives to pro wrestling and never get to experience things like this.”
Drew McIntyre has previously commented on the success of Joe Hendry during an appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet.
On February 9, 2025, McIntyre shared two photos with Hendry on his own Twitter account which, as can be seen below, included the caption:
“I believe…”
In January 2025, TNA Wrestling and WWE announced a multi-year partnership, formalizing the relationship that they shared throughout 2024.
I believe… pic.twitter.com/Ysk2gC1heL
— Drew (@DMcIntyreWWE) February 9, 2025
Image may be NSFW.
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