Edinburgh's Joe Hendry speaks out after WrestleMania debut branded 'glorified squash match'
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Edinburgh's Joe Hendry has spoken out for the first time after his WrestleMania debut was dubbed a 'glorified squash match'.
The wrestling champ sparked wild crowd reactions when he entered as Randy Orton's unexpected opponent in Las Vegas on Sunday.
However, the match lasted just under three minutes and ended with the WWE legend delivering a decisive RKO to land the pin and the win. Orton brought Hendry to his feet and lifted his arm to draw respect from the crowd before landing another shock RKO for good measure, reports the Daily Record.
Many TNA and WWE fans felt this was disrespectful to snuff out the popular athlete in such dismissive fashion given the magnitude of the occasion. The quick defeat sparked debate online about how the match was booked and whether it diminished TNA's prestige.
And Hendry broke his silence during an appearance on SiriusXM's 'Busted Open Radio' where he admits he "disagrees" with that view.
"The offense was back and forth, whereas a squash, to me, it could have been 'ding, ding, RKO,' there you go," Hendry said.
"For me, what I was thinking about, my different title reigns are defined by different things. When Josh Alexander was TNA World Champion, it was classic match after classic match. My job as TNA Champion and what defines this reign is business and getting as many eyeballs on TNA Wrestling as possible."
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Hendry added: "You know who else lost quickly at WrestleMania in a similar fashion? John Cena. All of a sudden, I'm going to say I'm too good to do that? To me, that's exactly how it should have gone."
Later in the interview, Hendry revealed advice and encouragement he received from WWE legend and Celtic admirer CM Punk following the match backstage at Allegiant Stadium.
"Do you know what CM Punk told me," Hendry began. "We had a great conversation after, CM Punk told me, 'That's exactly how it should've gone.'
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"If it had gone longer, I think it would have worked out worse for me. There is no shame in taking a RKO and losing to a legend like Randy Orton."
Hendry will defend the TNA World Championship at TNA Rebellion 2025 in Los Angeles, where he'll face Ethan Page and Frankie Kazarian in a triple threat match.
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