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More than 60,000 fans filled Allegiant Stadium on Night 2 of WrestleMania 41 with the buzz from the first night still filling the air and the anticipation that anything could happen at the highly anticipated WWE event of the year.
WWE star Randy Orton slid around the ring, waiting for his opponent. It could have been anyone since the former champion was left without a rival. But that night in Las Vegas was something special. Not just for Orton, who was making his 20th appearance at WrestleMania, but also for the man who walked through the curtain and onto the entrance ramp.
“Say his name and he will appear.”
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Joe Hendry makes his entrance during WrestleMania 41 on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium on April 20, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Craig Melvin/WWE via Getty Images)
Every pro wrestling fan in the house knew who was coming out. It could only be one person.
“I believe in Joe Hendry.”
Then a Total Nonstop Action (TNA) world champion, Hendry’s appearance was a perennial moment for the sport. It was the first time a TNA contracted Superstar appeared at WrestleMania. And it just proved that a viral push from pro wrestling fans could go a long way.
“It was an incredible moment,” Hendry recalled to Pak Gazette Digital. “I think it’s a moment that goes beyond even your wildest dreams. There are moments where you have to say, ‘Is this a dream? Going out to WrestleMania?’ I remember walking, being backstage, watching the vignette marking Randy Orton’s 20th birthday at WrestleMania, and for me to be the opponent and the surprise opponent, it was a perfect moment. And I’m very grateful.”
Approximately seven months after his WrestleMania appearance, Hendry was no longer a TNA wrestler, but a WWE Superstar. He was included in the NXT roster, as he was familiar with the rising stars that were on the brand.
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Hendry quickly made a name for himself. The Scottish star may have lost his chance at a title shot at the Iron Survivor Challenge on NXT Deadline, but he redeemed himself earlier this month.
The Scottish wrestler won a ladder match over Dion Lennox, Jackson Drake, Keanu Carver, Ricky Saints, Sean Legacy and Shiloh Hill to capture the vacant NXT Championship.
Joe Hendry celebrates his victory during NXT at the WWE Performance Center on February 3, 2026 in Orlando, Florida. (Matt Pendleton/WWE via Getty Images)
“It means the whole world,” he said of being the NXT champion. “It is very humbling that with the amount of talented people we have working in the Performance Center and in NXT, I am the person who has the privilege of being the champion and representing the brand. It is a surreal feeling, but it is a responsibility that I take very seriously and I want to fulfill with NXT.”
Hendry took the road less traveled to become a professional wrestler.
Inspired by WWE video games, Hendry told Pak Gazette Digital that he became “totally obsessed” with the sport while watching professional wrestlers from the Attitude Era and earlier compete. He focused on other things that take professional wrestlers from tweens to immortal icons, like the ring, the vignettes, the entrance songs, and the like.
Hendry won gold medals in wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling before his career really took off. He competed in Inane Championship Wrestling in Scotland before moving on to Discovery Wrestling and New Generation Wrestling. He had appearances in Ring of Honor and World of Sport Wrestling before coming to Impact Wrestling, which later reverted to its original name of TNA.
But when did Joe Hendry start believing in Joe Hendry?
“I remember when I got my black belt in judo, that was really the first thing I ever finished in my life,” he said. “I started a lot of things and stopped them. And when I did it, I thought, wow, I accomplished the goal. Then after that point, I realized that for a lot of people, the hard part is that they get so close and to just push it to the line, I think as human beings, that’s something that’s hard for all of us, but sometimes you need to give yourself permission to win and go all the way.
“Luckily, that’s what I was able to do in the ladder match and become NXT champion.”
Joe Hendry during the Men’s Royal Rumble match during the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 1, 2025. (Joe Camporeale/Image Images)
Hendry now sits atop the NXT roster as champion and face of the brand. But he’s not the only Scot to do that on the WWE roster.
Drew McIntyre is the undisputed WWE champion as he prepares to defend his title at WrestleMania 42.
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“It was Drew who told me that Scotland has 0.068% of the world’s population, but we have a much higher percentage of WWE titles. So I’m very proud to be someone who has worked with Drew. The way people talk about the Undertaker in the locker room, that’s how we saw Drew McIntyre when we were independent. He was our Undertaker and so to see him now as the undisputed WWE champion and for me to be NXT champion at the same time, it’s a feeling incredible. He challenged me when we worked together. He always made me better and brought out the best in me. So I would be delighted if our paths could cross again.”
