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Joe Hendry Thanked All Those Who Believed After Winning TNA World Championship

Those who have continued to believe in Joe Hendry were rewarded for their faith when he captured the TNA World Championship at TNA Genesis.
Rick Ucchino|
Joe Hendry is the new TNA World Champion
Joe Hendry is the new TNA World Champion | TNA Wrestling

The months long chase is over. Joe Hendry finally captured the TNA World Championship at TNA Genesis Sunday night when he defeated Nic Nemeth in front of a raucous crowd at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas.

Both Frankie Kazarian and Ryan Nemeth tried to intervene in the bout, but they were taken out by WWE Hall of Famer JBL. Hendry was able to survive Nemeth's Danger Zone and then connect with a fall away slam and the second Standing Ovation of the match to keep the now former champion down for a three count.

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It was the culmination of Hendry's meteoric rise to the top of the TNA mountain, as one of the most popular figures in all of pro wrestling can now call himself TNA World Champion.

After the show went off the air, Hendry grabbed a mic and thanked all the fans who continued to believe in both himself and TNA Wrestling along his journey to capturing the top prize in the company. Credit to Brian Zilem, who was at the show, for posting the clip online.

“You are the lifeblood of TNA wrestling. You’ve watched the growth of this company, and the awesome thing about it is we are all doing it together. I want you all to know, I’m so proud to be a part of this locker room. It is the greatest honor and privilege to share a locker room with the individuals in the back, and you have no idea how many of them have gone out of their way to help me get to where I wanted to do, to selflessly give me the help, the advice, the guidance, the mentorship. None of this happens without the colleagues and staff in the back. Thank you so much to every single one of you."

The work is just getting started for Joe Hendry. Now that he is the TNA World Champion, he is vowing to keep pushing forward to make sure that the fans continue to believe him and his title reign.

"I’m gonna give every ounce of being that I have to make sure every single one of you is still chanting ‘We believe.’ It’s because of you that we’re living our dreams in the back, but we have got so much to go. Are you ready to push TNA Wrestling to a new level in 2025?"

Hendry then led the crowd in a loud TNA chant to send them all home happy. Congratulations to the new TNA Champion!

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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