Joe Hendry has gone into further detail regarding his quick loss to Randy Orton at WrestleMania and how he does not believe it was a negative experience for him as the TNA World Champion.
Revealed to be the surprise opponent for Orton in what was The Viper’s 20th appearance at The Show of Shows, Hendry made his entrance to a massive ovation from the crowd in what was one of the biggest pops of the weekend.
Although Hendry received a great reaction following the reveal, fans were not as complimentary of the match itself as the TNA World Champion lost to Orton in around 3 minutes. Additionally, Hendry was hit with a second RKO after the match.
Critics of the match stated that Orton won too easily and took issue with how the World Champion was presented at WWE’s biggest show of the year. However, when asked about the match, Hendry saw things differently.
Speaking with Chris Van Vliet about his WrestleMania debut, Hendry noted that the match was back and forth before he was hit with the RKO and that TNA attendance has been up while he has been champion:
“The thing is, one, it was back and forth, so I got offence 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.”
When it was brought up that some felt Hendry was squashed by Orton, the World Champion responded that some of the all-time greats have lost at Mania in the past but the story is the more important aspect:
“I think that in wrestling, everything has to be a story. So, in the movie, does Rocky win every single match? 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, just make everything a story. Everything is a story. So it’s just about, okay, where do I go from here as champion?
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.”
How Joe Hendry Kept WrestleMania Match A Secret
Although there are fewer surprises in the modern era of professional wrestling given the advancements in technology, many were shocked by Hendry’s appearance as it was not leaked ahead of time. During the same interview, Joe Hendry explained how he was able to keep the appearance a closely guarded secret.
Additionally, Joe Hendry spoke out on his TNA contract status.
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