Randy Orton didn’t say his name, but he appeared anyway… Joe Hendry got his WrestleMania moment.
Friday night on SmackDown, Randy Orton announced that he would have an open challenge match at WrestleMania 41. While there were plenty of guesses that weekend regarding who his opponent might be, very few even considered the TNA World Champion as a possibility. So, how did this match come to be?
According to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp (via Fightful Select), the wheels were in motion for Joe Hendry to get this opportunity around the time Kevin Owens publicly announced his injury on SmackDown. However, many within TNA didn’t even know this match was happening for sure until Saturday.
WWE went through great lengths to keep Hendry’s appearance a secret and didn’t list him internally on any run sheets.
Joe Hendry’s contract with TNA Wrestling is scheduled to expire sometime in the next 12 months. It’s very obvious that WWE is interested in signing Hendry once he’s free and clear to do so. It’s very similar to the situation with former TNA and current NXT Superstar Jordynne Grace.
Stay tuned to WrestleZone for more information on Joe Hendry’s future as it becomes available.
READ MORE: John Cena Reveals The Advice He Recently Gave To Joe Hendry
What do you make of this report? Were you surprised to see Joe Hendry answer Randy Orton’s challenge at WrestleMania 41? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
