During Tuesday night's NXT, WWE said Joe Hendry's name and he appeared in the 25-man Number #1 Contender's Battle Royal for the NXT Championship.
The TNA star has made headlines recently for heading to the top of the charts with his viral entrance music but isn't someone we necessarily expected to see in WWE this soon. The company gave him the chance to cut a promo, though he was quickly eliminated from the bout by ex-AEW star "All Ego" Ethan Page.
It felt like WWE might be setting the stage for Hendry to return and that's now been confirmed by Fightful Select.
Apparently, officials were "very happy" with the crowd reaction he received and TNA, who appears to have entered a working relationship with WWE, was pleased to see his ongoing storyline with Frankie Kazarian addressed and furthered at the same time.
Moving forward, it sounds like Henry will make at least a few more NXT appearances. Whether he'll eventually sign a full-time deal with WWE remains to be seen, but there's one thing that may be helping his case in that regard.
These are the most viewed videos on WWE's official X account since WrestleMania:
#1 Uncle Howdy's return — 8.4M
#2 Joe Hendry's NXT debut — 7.1M
#3 Liv Morgan kisses Dominik Mysterio — 5.3M
#4 A debuting Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa attack Jimmy Uso — 4.6M
#5 Jordynne Grace arrives in NXT to challenge Roxanne Perez for the title — 4.5M
Social media is a big deal to WWE and numbers like those will likely play a big role in convincing them that Hendry is worth keeping around.
"I can speak on behalf of everyone at TNA that we were treated exceptionally well and this is proof that this working relationship between NXT and TNA can be absolutely beneficial for both sides, Including Jordynne as well," Hendry told Busted Open Radio. "We’ve all brought it and demonstrated value and it’s been an amazing thing for all parties involved."
"Long may it continue. Everyone is winning. The fans are winning. For me to have WWE’s most liked video on Twitter is insane, but I think I can top it..."
TheRingReport.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.