Joe Hendry Discusses WWE Royal Rumble Experience And Who Gave Him Advice Backstage

WWE.com

"It's unusual for Joe Hendry to be at a loss for words, but say his name and he appeared here in Indianapolis at the biggest Royal Rumble of all time."

That's what Joe Hendry said in his post-match interview on Saturday night after being eliminated from the Royal Rumble.

Hendry entered the match at number 15 along with his TNA World Championship before being eliminated by Roman Reigns. Now he's opened up about his experience in an interview with Ariel Helwani.

He opened up on how the WWE-TNA partnership made it possible.

"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 he heard rumblings that WWE had interest in him appearing, with his boss, Anthem Sports SVP Ariel Shnerer, confirming it.

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?"

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Hendry then discussed the moment itself, sharing that he received advice from CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, and others backstage.

"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?'"

Watch the full interview below.

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SI Wrestling Staff
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The Wrestling Staff at The Takedown On SI is committed to bringing fans the latest news, analysis, and insights from professional wrestling. Covering everything from WWE, AEW and more, the team delivers in-depth interviews, breaking stories, and expert commentary to keep wrestling fans informed and entertained.