Joe Hendry FINALLY Signs With WWE, Ends TNA Deal Early (WWE News)

Fightful Select is reporting that now ex-TNA man Joe Hendry "is effectively done with the company in an official capacity" and is now officially on the WWE roster. The popular Scot had been appearing on the developmental NXT brand for a while, but was still believed to be firmly under contract to TNA. That has since changed.

Many were surprised that Joe didn't show up on TNA's Bound For Glory pay-per-view on 12 October. He reportedly wasn't backstage for the show either, and there's a good reason for that - Hendry is on team WWE.

There had been rumours all year that WWE would snap Hendry up once his TNA deal expired, but things have moved quicker than expected. Of course, Joe was a stand-in substitute for the injured Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 41, and he impressed in a short bout vs. Randy Orton. Afterwards, Hendry spoke positively about the experience and defended the fact he'd been pretty much squashed.

Fightful also stated that Joe has moved on "amicably" from TNA. He did things the right way, but WWE would not be denied and were determined to get their man.

Shawn Michaels Advocated For Hendry

WWE Hall Of Famer and bonafide industry legend Shawn Michaels played a major role in getting Hendry earlier than anticipated. According to Fightful, he was vocal behind the scenes about trying to buy out the remainder of Joe's TNA contract so he could move to NXT as soon as humanly possible.

It appears that's what has happened here, and there's no doubt that having HBK in his corner will be massive for Hendry. He did still have time on his TNA deal, but WWE has apparently come to terms on a buyout to seize him early. That just goes to show how into his act WWE management has been over the past few years.

To clarify 100%, Fightful's report included the following line: "WWE sources confirmed that Hendry is effectively full-time with WWE at this point and officially with the company".