Summary

Joe Hendry said his inclusion in WWE 2K26 carried extra weight because wrestling games were part of what pulled him toward the business in the first place.

Speaking with Sean Ross Sapp, Hendry explained that he was scanned for the game at the WWE Performance Center and later realized he had unknowingly filmed material for the pre-order DLC commercial. He said the full reveal did not hit him until he turned on his Xbox at home and saw himself in the game.

Hendry was originally offered as a bonus character for fans who pre-ordered WWE 2K26 before its March 13, 2026 release. His character is now available as a separate purchase.

Quote from Joe Hendry

"So it’s the second video game I’ve been in, but it’s the first wrestling video game that I’ve been in. So wrestling video games are what got me into the business. I was a fan of the WWE video games before I actually started watching wrestling, before I got obsessed with the business. So to me, being in the game is a huge thing. Yes, we did get scanned for it. The technology is unbelievable. This van comes to the PC and they have all these kind of cameras. It reminds me of how they shot the bullet time sequence from The Matrix with all the cameras all around you. It’s kind of like that sort of thing. It’s a really awesome set up that they have."

Hendry later described how he unknowingly shot footage for the promotional campaign:

"So I knew I was going to be in the game because obviously they’d scanned me for it, but I got asked to come to the PC to film some promotional stuff, which, I didn’t know what it was. I should have put two and two together, but it was a really high tech set up. They had me kind of doing the spin and just like a couple of different things and walking. I was like, ‘Oh, what’s this for?’ They’re like, ‘Oh, just some B-roll, you know.’ So that was me actually filming the pre-order DLC commercial without knowing it. So it was a complete surprise."

He also said the final reveal happened in a way that felt like a fan moment as much as a career milestone:

"I found out at the same time as everybody else, which was an awesome way to find out because we turned on the Xbox in my house and there I was. So that was a really cool way to do it and it was similar to my first piece of WWE merch which happened at WrestleMania. It was just kind of presented to me, which I love finding out that way because look, we’re all fans at heart. So to get those surprise moments, is pretty awesome. Maybe I could put myself forward for the General’s Fan of the Year. Who knows? I don’t know if that’s allowed."

Joe Hendry's WWE 2K26 appearance adds to his WWE visibility

Hendry being used as pre-order DLC, then later sold individually, says plenty about how WWE views his value to its audience. Even outside the ring, he is being positioned as a personality fans will recognize quickly, which is why the company could build a promotional beat around his reveal in the first place.

That also gives Hendry another lane of visibility beyond weekly television. For a performer whose presentation leans heavily on fan connection and instant recognition, appearing in WWE 2K26 keeps his name in front of players even after the pre-order window has passed.

Sources

Joe Hendry while speaking with Sean Ross Sapp