When Kevin Owens was sidelined with a neck injury, Randy Orton found himself without an opponent for his 20th WrestleMania. Rather than scrap the match, WWE had The Viper issue an open challenge...which was answered by TNA World Heavyweight Champion Joe Hendry.
It was a fun, albeit relatively short, bout and Hendry facing Orton not only blew the roof off the arena, but was something few fans predicted (some of the names thrown around in advance included Rusev, Aleister Black, and SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis).
The match ended with Hendry indulging the crowd one too many times, leading to an unforgettable RKO Outta Nowhere. It was one heck of a WrestleMania moment for the TNA star, but some fans considered a quick loss to Orton as a "burial."
Talking to Chris Van Vliet, Hendry explained why he strongly disagrees with the notion that he was squashed on the Grandest Stage of Them All:
"The thing is, one, it was back and forth, so I got offense in. It’s Randy Orton’s 20th WrestleMania. It’s also Randy Orton. The thing is, I did the spin around. So it’s like me being the Joe Hendry character, the RKO is one hit kill. And in that show the feedback that I got was exactly what it was supposed to be. And let’s be honest, the next how many days later, we had the biggest show TNA has ever had in 10 years, we had a higher attendance at Slammiversary. So we were past 4,000. I understand what this is, and my job is to put asses in seats for TNA wrestling."
Asked about complaints that the TNA World Championship was devalued, he added:
"I think that in wrestling, everything has to be a story. So, in the movie, does Rocky win every single match? I mean, the story is Joe Hendry lost to Randy Orton. How is the champion going to recover from this? You know who else lost quickly at WrestleMania? John Cena to The Undertaker. You know who else lost quickly at WrestleMania? Triple H. People have lost quickly at WrestleMania and these are the stories that we’re telling. 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 is that just make everything a story. Everything is a story. So it’s just about, okay, where do I go from here as champion? It added more weight and drama to the triple threat that we had, because it was me, it was Frankie [Kazarian], and it was Ethan Page, and it’s like the partnership’s so strong. All three outcomes were completely within the realms of possibility, and nobody knew what was going to happen that night. Not even we knew what was going to happen that night right up until the wire. So that’s when it’s exciting, when anything can happen."
Hendry got to live his dream by competing at WrestleMania, but it's no secret that he's desperate to face John Cena. The Undisputed WWE Champion is in the midst of a retirement tour, so could it happen before December rolls around?
"Of course it’s possible," Hendry shared. "The real question is do I think it will happen? Yes. I mean, my track record’s looking pretty good, but I can’t tell you. I can’t explain it. I just feel it in my heart, to be honest with you. I just would be lying if I sat here and said I didn’t think it would happen."
You can watch the full interview in the player below.