Joe Hendry Addresses Fans Saying WrestleMania 41 Loss Devalued TNA World Championship

WWE

TNA World Champion Joe Hendry got his first WrestleMania moment in April 2025 and has addressed fans arguing that it devalued his title.

Hendry answered Randy Orton’s open challenge on April 20 as the Viper sought an opponent for his 20th WrestleMania appearance.

Orton would be victorious over Hendry in a short match that drew criticism from some quarters, believing that it devalued TNA Wrestling and their champion.

Hendry has previously stated that he was ‘hand-picked‘ by Orton to face him at the WWE Premium Live Event, and has now spoken about the perception of the match among some fans.

Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Hendry noted that there was back-and-forth between both men in the match, saying:

“The thing is, one, it was back and forth, so I got offense in. It’s Randy Orton’s 20th WrestleMania. It’s also Randy Orton. The thing is, I did the spin around. So it’s like me being the Joe Hendry character, the RKO is one hit kill.

“And in that show the feedback that I got was exactly what it was supposed to be. And let’s be honest, the next how many days later, we had the biggest show TNA has ever had in 10 years, we had a higher attendance at Slammiversary. So we were past 4,000. I understand what this is, and my job is to put asses in seats for TNA wrestling.”

As for the idea that the match devalued the TNA World Championship, Hendry would reflect on other quick matches at WrestleMania, stating:

“I think that in wrestling, everything has to be a story. So, in the movie, does Rocky win every single match? I mean, the story is Joe Hendry lost to Randy Orton. How is the champion going to recover from this?

“You know who else lost quickly at WrestleMania? John Cena to The Undertaker. You know who else lost quickly at WrestleMania? Triple H. People have lost quickly at WrestleMania and these are the stories that we’re telling.

“When John Cena lost to The Undertaker, it was what is the path from here? And that’s what I’ve really learned from watching John Cena is that just make everything a story. Everything is a story. So it’s just about, okay, where do I go from here as champion?”

Hendry would consider how the weight from WrestleMania played into the TNA Rebellion match which saw him retain the championship on April 27, explaining:

“It added more weight and drama to the triple threat that we had, because it was me, it was Frankie (Kazarian), and it was Ethan Page, and it’s like the partnership’s so strong.

“All three outcomes were completely within the realms of possibility, and nobody knew what was going to happen that night. Not even we knew what was going to happen that night right up until the wire. So that’s when it’s exciting, when anything can happen.”

While Joe Hendry remains under TNA Wrestling contract, it was recently reported that it is ‘pretty much considered a lock‘ that he will sign with WWE in the future.

Joe Hendry has recently also spoken about fans wanting to see him appear on a recent episode of WWE Raw.

Transcript from chrisvanvliet.com.

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• tna wrestling
• Joe Hendry
• WrestleMania
• Randy Orton
• wwe

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