Joe Hendry on How and When He Found Out About WrestleMania 41 Role – TNA World Heavyweight Champion Joe Hendry stunned the wrestling world with a surprise appearance at WWE WrestleMania 41 – Sunday, stepping in as the unannounced opponent for Randy Orton. The match, which ended with Orton hitting his trademark RKO for the win, became an unexpected WrestleMania moment — one Hendry revealed he had only a week to prepare for.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Hendry detailed how he learned of the high-profile opportunity.
“So, I’ve actually never answered this question. I’ve evaded this question every time someone has asked it, but because it’s you, Ariel, I will answer it. I found out about a week before. I had to sit on this for a week,” Hendry revealed.
Helwani then asked what that moment was like, prompting Hendry to share a story straight out of a wrestling dream.
“I was in the airport, and I got a text from Triple H saying, can you talk? And I was at WWE World. I was scheduled to be there, to be signing things. I thought, you know, maybe something to the effect of, you know, they’ve got the Slammies, or it might be like, you know, doing a promo at WWE World. So, I’m kind of expecting that’s what the call is going to be.”
“And Triple H says, ‘Listen, I’m sure you’re aware that Randy needs an opponent.’ And, yeah, that threw me off completely. I was in a state of shock, but I just, you know, I knew there was a job to be done… I want to bring as much value as possible, and I want this to be the best moment that we can possibly make it. And I’m so proud of what we did out there.”
Hendry went on to express how surreal it felt to compete on WWE’s grandest stage:
“That shot of the spin around into the RKO—it’s now been made into a trading card, and I think it was a really fun moment for the fans. Walk into the ring in front of 60,000 people. It was a huge moment for me. And what an honor to share the ring with Randy Orton. AEW. I just wrestled Randy Orton at WrestleMania. What is going on?”
Despite the loss, Hendry’s performance and composure under such short notice earned praise across social media and among peers, further establishing him as a major crossover star in 2025.
Joe Hendry on How and When He Found Out About WrestleMania 41 Role
