TNA World Champion Joe Hendry has addressed the criticism behind his WrestleMania 41 debut.
On night 2 of WrestleMania, Hendry was revealed to be the mystery opponent for Randy Orton, who was originally supposed to face Kevin Owens at the show before Owens announced he needed neck surgery and was unable to compete.
Hendry received one of the biggest reactions over the entire weekend as Allegiant Stadium erupted upon hearing his signature entrance theme. However, just over 3 minutes later, the TNA World Champion lost to The Viper after being hit with an RKO. After the match, Orton raised Hendry’s arm but once again hit a RKO on the Scottish star.
The appearance has divided opinions among fans. While many were happy to see Hendry given the spotlight and the exposure for himself and TNA, others believe that the promotion’s World Champion should have been given more offence and not beaten as easily. Aware of the comments, Hendry has given his thoughts.
“If This Is Being Buried Keep It Coming”: Joe Hendry
Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show, Hendry denied that he was buried at the show, adding that he understood the assignment and was honoured to be a part of Orton’s 20th WrestleMania match:
“If this is being buried, keep it coming. We understood the assignment at WrestleMania, we were the fun and the surprise. You saw Randy’s promo after the match had taken place; that’s what he talked about: the match being fun. This is Randy Orton’s 20th WrestleMania. This was a featured match. As Triple H put it in the post-event press conference, this was about giving Randy a fun moment for his 20th WrestleMania appearance.
For me to do that, I remember being 15 years old, walking back from high school, talking to my friend about Randy Orton, and ‘could he win the world title?’ I remember having these conversations. For me to be part of his 20th WrestleMania…this is what people don’t understand, when I was at the Performance Center, William Regal gathered everyone around and said, ‘Listen, if you want to work with Roman Reigns and Randy Orton, you need to show that you can be professional and be relied upon, that you can do the job.’ This year, I wrestled Roman Reigns in the Rumble and Randy Orton at WrestleMania. That doesn’t just happen. That’s a huge responsibility, and I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
H/t to Fightful.
Featured image: WWE
