Joe Hendry will keep doing whatever he can to reach pro wrestling’s biggest heights and bring new fans with him.
Hendry spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard ahead of TNA Bound For Glory. There, he’ll challenge Nic Nemeth for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Hendry has been on a tear this year, including a highly successful guest run in NXT. Despite being as busy as he has been, Hendry has had a “tremendous” year so far. The only thing left, he noted, is to “make it official” by bringing home the gold.
“There is no rule book for a situation like this because it’s unprecedented. It’s been a tremendous year. The support has been amazing. I miss my dog, I miss my loved ones back home,” Hendry said. “I have to add that second one, because I got in trouble for saying I missed my dog and neglecting to mention anyone else. My schedule right now is kind of two weeks on the road, three days at home, two weeks on the road. It feels like a very unique run in professional wrestling. I feel like TNA is in the Joe Hendry era, and this Saturday it’s time to make it official.”
Joe Hendry on Bound For Glory
Bound For Glory will mark Hendry’s second crack at the TNA World Championship, but it’s only his first singles title shot. Asked what winning the title this weekend would mean to him at this stage of his career, Hendry said it means a lot to him now, and his younger self who loved the TNA brand as a kid.
“It’s the world title match in TNA’s biggest pay-per-view of the year when it’s extremely hot right now. We are on a hot streak, so to be in that position right now, it means everything,” Hendry said. “I remember having a video iPod and the one video I had on it, the very first one I had on it was Kurt Angle confronting Samoa Joe in TNA wrestling. It’s my favorite wrestling moment of all time. So to be in this position for TNA Wrestling, it means a lot to me. It means a lot to me. It means a lot to the kid that at 14, 15 years old, used to run home to catch TNA Wrestling on the wrestling channel back in the UK It would mean a lot.”
A title win would also potentially open the door for another TNA title holder to “cross the line” into NXT. Hendry has been there before, but not as a champion. He believes even asking that question highlights just how unpredictable pro wrestling is now.
“I think that would be extremely exciting. I think what’s cool about that is we’re in a situation where anything can happen,” Hendry explained. “Absolutely anything can happen in the world of professional wrestling. The fact that what you just described is within the realm of possibility shows you how exciting pro wrestling is right now.”
What kind of champion does Joe Hendry want to be?
If he wins the title Saturday, Hendry will follow Moose and Nic Nemeth as the most recent TNA World Champions. Hendry was asked what kind of champion he wanted to be.
“First of all, I would like to think that what I bring to the table in terms of bringing views and eyes and attention to the product, I feel like I’m already in a unique position. So the day that I win the championship — because I believe I will win the championship,” Hendry explained. “I got here by doing and saying controversial things. I’ve made it quite clear who I would like my first opponent to be should I win the TNA world title.”
Hendry said he’s made a name by making big statements, but doesn’t want to discredit Nemeth and look past him. However, he wants to continue to make you believe anything can happen in the ring.
“So I think that my title reign, it’s hard to know. The difficulty is I’m wrestling Nic Nemeth, who is one of the best to ever lace up a pair of boots. You just can’t overlook a competitor like that. My focus is becoming the TNA World Champion on Saturday. I think in the same way that Chael Sonnen did, as soon as he wins a fight, he says something outrageous,” Hendry said. “That is kind of how I see it going. My job is to put people in seats. And so I’ll be doing and saying things that will do that. If I’m able to get it done, my goal would be to be a champion that creates an era where anything can happen, an era of excitement. Because that’s what pro wrestling is all about.”
TNA Bound For Glory takes place at the Wayne State University Fieldhouse on Saturday, October 26. Watch our full interview with Joe Hendry below:
