Former TNA World Heavyweight Champion Joe Hendry is now officially a WWE star.
Last month, TNA fans were surprised when Joe Hendry didn’t appear at Bound For Glory. Instead, he kept showing up on WWE NXT. According to Fightful (via Fightful Select), Hendry has now signed a long-term deal with WWE and will no longer work with TNA.
Fightful also reported that Hendry was not scheduled for this weekend’s TNA events and he was not present backstage at Bound For Glory. Many within TNA said that if he shows up at Turning Point, it would only be because he lives nearby, not because he’s still under contract.
However, WWE sources confirmed that Joe Hendry is now effectively full-time with the company. WWE had been interested in signing him for a while. Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels was especially supportive of bringing him in. It was mentioned that Michaels reportedly even wanted WWE to buy out Hendry’s TNA contract.
Hendry finally signing with WWE wasn’t a total surprise, since many expected the company to bring him in. He had already wrestled at major WWE shows like the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, and he is already making regular appearances on WWE NXT. It was noted that Hendry had a few more months on his TNA contract, but he’s with WWE moving forward. It was also communicated that Hendry used representation to navigate the process of moving forward with WWE.
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