I'm a pro wrestler from Edinburgh who's made waves in WWE - now I've won World Title held by Hall of Famers

Edinburgh-born professional wrestler and social media sensation Joe Hendry has become a world champion for the first time in his career.

The 36-year-old defeated former champion Nic Nemeth (fka Dolph Ziggler in WWE) to win the TNA World Championship at the first time at their TNA Genesis event on Sunday night and ensure he followed in the footsteps of some of wrestling’s greatest names. The TNA organisation has been in business for almost 23 years following its formation in 2002 and has been home to some of the biggest names in professional wrestling. The title now held by Hendry was once in the hands of former Olympic champion and WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, WCW legend Sting, hardcore wrestling icon Mick Foley and Ayr-born wrestler Drew Galloway, who is now a top star in the WWE under the name Drew McIntyre. The title is back in the hands of a Scottish wrestler for the second time in its history almost nine years after Galloway beat Matt Hardy at an event in Orlando, Florida in March 2016.

Speaking after the match on Sunday night, an emotional Hendry told the crowd: “You are the lifeblood of TNA wrestling. You’ve watched the growth of this company, and the awesome thing about it is we are all doing it together. I want you all to know, I’m so proud to be a part of this locker room. It is the greatest honor and privilege to share a locker room with the individuals in the back, and you have no idea how many of them have gone out of their way to help me get to where I wanted to do, to selflessly give me the help, the advice, the guidance, the mentorship. None of this happens without the colleagues and staff in the back. Thank you so much to every single one of you.”

How did Hendry become an unlikely top ten recording artist last year?

The music that accompanies Hendry’s walk to the ring has always been somewhat unique. The Scot has put his own spin on songs by Limp Bizkit and Phil Collins to mock his opponent - but it is his catchy ‘I believe in Joe Hendry’ theme music that really captured the imagination of wrestling fans around the world. Indeed, it became so popular on social media outlets such as TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), the song reached number four in the official iTunes charts last year.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland in May 2024, Hendry explained: "People had always liked my entrance song. On Tik Tok, people were making videos with it, getting literally millions of hits. I put it up on Spotify one evening, didn't think anything of it and when I woke up it was number 20 in the iTunes charts. I thought it was funny so I tweeted it out and it just caught fire from there - life's been an absolute rollercoaster since then. The fan base has been unbelievable, the support has been unbelievable and it's so fun and rare in life when something like this happens, when it's so unexpected and it happens it’s so cool."

How could Hendry be handed a chance with the WWE?

As mentioned earlier, Hendry has featured in WWE over the last year after appearing on NXT programming, which is used to showcase promising talent that could eventually move into the organisation’s main roster and feature in their flagship ‘Raw’ and ‘Smackdown’ shows. However, a recent agreement between the WWE and TNA could well mean the Edinburgh-born star becomes a more regular feature in wrestling’s most lucrative promotion.

A joint-statement released by the two bodies last week read: “WWE part of TKO Group Holdings and TNA Wrestling, one of the world’s top wrestling brands and a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, today announced a multi-year partnership aimed at creating unprecedented crossover opportunities within WWE and TNA programming for NXT Superstars and TNA Wrestling Stars.

“The agreement will enable talent to garner additional exposure across key WWE and TNA programming, including weekly flagship shows such as NXT – which airs live on The CW – and TNA iMPACT!, select WWE Premium Live Events and TNA pay-per-views, in turn bolstering their in-ring development with exposure to world-class talent and coaching.”