It’s been revealed that Joe Hendry was specifically chosen by Randy Orton as his opponent for WrestleMania 41, following Kevin Owens’ injury and subsequent withdrawal from the event.
According to Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE’s plan was always for Orton to go over decisively with an RKO in a short match. This ruled out using any of WWE’s newly signed or protected stars, prompting the decision to bring in Hendry, a surprise name not under contract with the company but still recognisable enough to draw a strong crowd reaction.
“We were told ahead of time that Orton was going over with the RKO, which is why they didn’t choose to debut one of the newcomers in that spot and instead used a surprise not under contract,” Meltzer wrote. “The reality is if the rub of being on Mania and in the ring with Orton was so great for someone, why did WWE not put Aleister Black, Rusev, Sami Zayn, Jeff Cobb or someone else who would have also gotten a giant pop in the spot?”
Meltzer further explained that WWE avoided using talent like Jeff Cobb because the plan beyond WrestleMania involved Orton heading into a major programme with John Cena at Backlash in St. Louis, and it didn’t make sense to have a potentially valuable name get squashed ahead of that.
“It was specifically told to me regarding Cobb, that it made no sense to have him get squashed by Orton,” Meltzer added.
Despite criticism that TNA allowed its world champion to be decisively beaten, Meltzer noted this decision aligned with TNA’s strategy of maintaining a positive relationship with WWE for potential exposure.
“TNA itself positions itself as a company constantly looking for discarded crumbs from WWE and figures anything to keep an open relationship is good for exposure, even their world champion being squashed,” he said.
Interestingly, Orton wasn’t just handed Hendry, he picked him.
“It should be noted that Orton was given a list of several people and given the option of choosing his opponent after Kevin Owens was injured. Hendry was his choice,” Meltzer reported.
While the match was brief, it may still elevate Hendry in the long run. Meltzer suggested a scenario where WWE could have booked a quick win for Orton, followed by a post-match segment with Hendry fighting off heels and receiving Orton’s endorsement, giving Hendry a moment, even in defeat.
When Did Joe Hendry Find Out He Was Going To Make His WrestleMania Debut?
Joe Hendry spoke about exactly when he found out he was going to be making his WrestleMania debut in a match against Randy Orton and said that he received a text message and a phone call from WWE’s CCO, Triple H a week prior to the event, who asked him if he’d be willing to be Orton’s replacement opponent following Kevin Owens’ injury. Hendry said the news left him in a state of shock, but he quickly recovered and focused on the task that lay before him.