TNA World Heavyweight Champion Joe Hendry made a surprise appearance at WWE WrestleMania 41, stepping into the ring as the unexpected opponent for Randy Orton. The match, which lasted just under three minutes, ended with Orton delivering a decisive RKO to secure the win.
The brief nature of the bout, coupled with the clean loss for Hendry, led some fans to label it a “glorified squash match.” The quick defeat of the reigning TNA Champion sparked debate online about how the match was booked and whether it diminished the title’s prestige.
Hendry recently addressed those criticisms during an appearance on SiriusXM’s ‘Busted Open Radio’.
When asked directly if he viewed the match as a squash, Hendry firmly disagreed.
“I disagree,” he said. “The offense was back and forth, whereas a squash, to me, it could have been ‘ding, ding, RKO,’ there you go,” Hendry said. “For me, what I was thinking about, my different title reigns are defined by different things. When Josh Alexander was TNA World Champion, it was classic match after classic match. My job as TNA Champion and what defines this reign is business and getting as many eyeballs on TNA Wrestling as possible.”
Hendry continued, “You know who else lost quickly at WrestleMania in a similar fashion? John Cena. All of a sudden, I’m going to say I’m too good to do that? To me, that’s exactly how it should have gone,” he said.
Later in the interview, the TNA World Champion revealed advice and encouragement he received from WWE legend CM Punk following the match backstage at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV.
“Do you know what CM Punk told me,” Hendry began. “We had a great conversation after, CM Punk told me, ‘That’s exactly how it should’ve gone.’ If it had gone longer, I think it would have worked out worse for me. There is no shame in taking a RKO and losing to a legend like Randy Orton.”
Looking ahead, Hendry isn’t letting the WrestleMania outcome slow him down. He’s scheduled to defend the TNA World Championship at TNA Rebellion 2025 in Los Angeles, where he’ll face Ethan Page and Frankie Kazarian in a triple threat match.
(H/T to Fightful.com for transcribing the above quotes.)
