His name was said, and Joe Hendry appeared at the WWE Royal Rumble. Hendry entered at number 15 and was eliminated by Roman Reigns.
Hendry carried the TNA World Championship to the ring and was recognized as the champion.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on the Ariel Helwani Show, Hendry detailed his experience and how things came together.
"I have been trying to speak this in existence for a long time. I remember walking into my training school back in Scotland, I walked in after Jordynne Grace and her stint in the Rumble representing TNA and I said, 'You know what, mark my words, I'll be in the next Rumble.' Even if it's a subconscious thing, I feel like when you put something out there to people, you kind of start guiding your actions towards that. It was a great honor. Now, with the partnership between TNA and WWE, it's amazing for both companies. It was a huge honor to represent TNA on that stage," he said.
Hendry noted he was not featured much on TNA television in January 2024 and that it might have been "totally absurd" that he would be in the 2025 Royal Rumble, but he believed.
Asked when he knew the appearance was official, Hendry said, "I heard some rumblings that there was some interest. It was my boss, Ariel [Shnerer], who confirmed it to me. I heard some rumblings, but when it was actually confirmed, it was, 'This is actually happening.' When you get that information, what you need to think about is, 'How can I maximize this opportunity?' When you're the champion of a company, you're not just thinking about yourself, you're thinking, 'How can I elevate the company? How can I elevate the championship?' Those considerations. How can I make the biggest impact? How can I do something that will open doors for future business?"
Asked what it was like in the moment, Hendry replied, "The first thing was, I was amazed it didn't leak. Weeks ago, I made the decision I was going to put myself in Indianapolis to make it easy. Chris Jericho asked me to do the cruise, and I was like, 'Chris, I'm sorry, this is going to sound crazy, but I need to keep that Royal Rumble date free. I know this is crazy, but I think it's going to happen.' He was like, 'Alright, maybe you can join the Cruise later.' I booked a bunch of stuff in Indianapolis so I was there. We had to leave a signing early to 'catch a flight.' We got to the venue and when I walked in, there was a lot of familiar faces. I got to the back and there was a moment where, I remember having a conversation with CM Punk and Cody Rhodes, and I said, 'If you guys were me, how would you approach this?' I got great advice. I have to tell you, I don't know if he would want me to say this, but The Miz is awesome. These guys go out of their way to help you succeed. As many people have in TNA. I've been very fortunate in the business with people who have helped me get to where I'm getting to. A lot of great advice. I really do believe it takes an army of people to help someone like myself get better and get to this point. It was an awesome experience and I got great advice. I felt welcome and I felt this confidence that this was a great opportunity for me to show I can get a top level reaction in an arena with 70,000 people. It was very reassuring that it did happen because you do have that thing where you wonder, 'How many people do know who I am?'"
Hendry lasted less than four minutes in the Rumble.
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