Joe Hendry Believes 3-Minute WWE WrestleMania 41 Loss Has Long-Term Benefits (TNA News)
John Cena has inspired TNA Champ Joe Hendry to look on the positive side.
Some wrestling fans have been critical of Joe Hendry's quickfire loss to WWE legend Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41, but the reigning TNA Champion is more philosophical about things and believes his main roster debut on the grandest stage could reap huge rewards longer term.
Hendry told Chris Van Vliet's 'Insight' show that he's choosing to look on the positive side of his rapid defeat. Critics online pointed out that it probably hurt TNA's top belt because the match was so short, but Joe disagrees. To him, the bout was more "back and forth" before the "one hit kill" RKO finished things.
He clearly has no problem with that at all.
What's more, attendances have been going up since Hendry won the TNA Title from Nic Nemeth at Genesis on 19 January. The promotion's management team are satisfied with that. They were especially thrilled with recent pay-per-view Slammiversary; according to Joe, that event pulled "past 4,000" folks, which is impressive considering where TNA once was in terms of pure ticket sales.
Plainly, Hendry told Van Vliet: "I understand what this is, and my job is to put asses in seats for TNA wrestling".
John Cena Taught Joe Hendry To "Make Everything A Story"
Watching and admiring John Cena's work for many years has helped Hendry learn too. He also told Van Vliet that "everything has to be a story" in pro wrestling. Then, he pointed out that Cena himself bounced back from a brief loss to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34, and none other than Triple H recovered from a potentially-humiliating defeat at the hands of The Ultimate Warrior way back in 1996 at 'Mania XII.
Framing it nicely, Joe said: "When John Cena lost to The Undertaker, it was what is the path from here? And that’s what I’ve really learned from watching John Cena, just make everything a story. Everything is a story. So it’s just about, okay, where do I go from here as champion?".
Hendry reckons that bid to get back on the winning trail and redeem himself helped TNA Rebellion's three-way pitting him vs. Frankie Kazarian and Ethan Page for the TNA Title. There, on 27 April, Joe retained his prize and walked out as champ. To him, the thought of a previously-confident champion maybe being rocked by WrestleMania 41 "added more weight and drama" to proceedings.
Joe has been praised for his positive, professional outlook on things by everyone from Triple H and Shawn Michaels to Orton and Cena. There's a prevailing sense that the Scot 'gets it'. Recent news also suggests that it's only a matter of time before he signs on the dotted line as a WWE full-timer. That seems inevitable once his current TNA contract expires.