Edinburgh born wrestler Joe Hendry officially signs with WWE after multiple high profile appearances
A Scottish wrestler has reportedly made a permanent move to the WWE.
Say his name and he appears - in the WWE! Edinburgh-born wrestler Joe Hendry has reportedly been rewarded for his rapid progress in the United States by signing a contract with the biggest name in the world of wrestling.
The 36-year-old has become a hugely popular figure in the world of sports entertainment as he combines his talent as a musician with his unquestionable ability in the ring. After learning his craft alongside current WWE superstar Drew McIntyre (then known as Drew Galloway) with Insane Championship Wrestling just over a decade ago, Hendry spent time wrestling in Romania and Japan’s Ring of Honor before moving stateside to join Total NonStop Wrestling (TNA) in September 2022.
With his catchy ‘I believe in Joe Hendry’ entrance music, the Scot has become a cult figure in recent years and became TNA world champion earlier this year when he defeat Nic Nemeth at TNA’s Genesis event. That came just a week before Hendry made a shock appearance at WWE’s annual Royal Rumble pay-per-view event as he entered a 30-man over the top rope battle before being eliminated by wrestling legend Roman Reigns. Another surprise appearance came two months later when Hendry appeared at Wrestlemania 41 by answering an open challenge from Randy Orton after his opponent, Kevin Owens, had withdrawn with a serious neck injury.
Hendry has continued to appear on WWE programming as part of their NXT developmental brand - but American wrestling outlet Fightful has now claimed he has now officially signed with WWE and will become a regular feature on their main programmes over the coming weeks and months.
There are also some reports suggesting Hendry could be a mystery opponent in line to face LA Knight at Friday Night Smackdown as they take part in the ‘Last Time is Now’ tournament that will see the eventual winner facing John Cena when the wrestling legend brings down the curtain on a 25-year career at Saturday Night Main Event next month.
What had Joe Hendry said about his career with TNA?
Speaking to the Evening News earlier this year, Hendry said: “The TNA product is unbelievable. You just have to look at the size of the arenas that we're filling right now. The growth of TNA is absolutely undisputed. If you look at Slammiversary, we had about 4,000. Then at Bound for Glory, we had a packed house there. Then, the other night, we had sold out 4,000 at the Curtis Caldwell Center.
“This is not just like we're selling out here and there, It's all the time now. It's the norm for us to sell out the arenas that we're in. There was a time in professional wrestling where the entire industry dipped a little bit. Right now, pro wrestling is hot. TNA Wrestling's growth has been unbelievable in 2024. I'm so excited for what the company has in store for 2025. We have just unbelievable talent on our roster. I put our TV show right up there as an unbelievable professional wrestling program. There's something for everyone.”
“The thing about these appearances is that a lot of the time we'll find out the day before or the day of. Nobody knows what's going to happen. That's what's so exciting about these partnerships is that anything is possible, but not even the roster knows if and when any of these things are going to take place. All you can do as champion is be ready when TNA Wrestling calls me and says, look, it's time to go, no matter where that is around the world. Whether it be London, Paris, Tokyo, America, Scotland, you've got to be ready to go.”