Summary

Joe Hendry says the advice John Cena gave him at the Royal Rumble helped shape how he approached his WrestleMania 41 appearance against Randy Orton.

Hendry looked back on the match as a career milestone, especially because it happened before he was officially signed. He described the opportunity as an unusual situation, thanked WWE for trusting him in that spot, and said the fan reaction to his earlier appearances helped put him in position for the moment.

He also admitted there was uncertainty almost right up until the show. Hendry said that, even after getting the call, he did not fully believe the match was happening until late the night before WrestleMania.

Quote from Joe Hendry

"The feeling was mutual. It was an incredible and unprecedented situation to compete at WrestleMania in a featured singles match against Randy Orton in his 20th WrestleMania when I wasn't even signed to the company. I very much appreciated the trust. So it kind of all kicked off because I did the initial appearance on NXT, which became the most watched video on X in all of wrestling that year and for 2024. So that really set me up for what came next. Then I think the Rumble, seeing the reaction at the Rumble, again, this is why Fan of the Year is so important to me, because it's the fans that have put me in this position."

Hendry later went on to say:

"It's one of these things, everything happens for a reason the way it's supposed to. I just remember getting the call about WrestleMania, it took a moment to just kind of, 'Well, this is...' and even then you get the call, but you're wondering, 'Is it actually going to happen?' Then the night before I was like, 'This is probably going to happen.' In wrestling, you just never know what’s going to happen. You'll hear things, but it's not a fact until it actually happens. But when it got to late the night before, I was thinking, 'This is probably going to happen.'"

After reflecting on the walk to the ring, Hendry credited Cena's guidance for helping him deliver in the moment.

"So yeah, walking out, it was an unbelievable experience. I'm grateful for it. It was very cool to achieve the dream which was to get to WWE and such a unique, odd way to do it as well to have already done Rumble in WrestleMania before signing. I appreciated the trust from the company. 'Cause like I said, I wasn't signed to the company when those things happen. My intention was to do the absolute best job that I could and I go back to the kind of words that John Cena had after WrestleMania for what we did. John gave me some advice at the Royal Rumble. I feel I executed on that advice at WrestleMania and I think we created a great moment."

What WrestleMania 41 could mean for Joe Hendry

Hendry framing WrestleMania 41 as proof that he could handle a high-pressure WWE spotlight matters more than the quick result of the match itself. A featured entrance, a major crowd reaction, and a singles showcase with Orton gave him the kind of exposure WWE can build from if the company wants to keep him in a visible role.

Cena's advice also adds another layer to the story, because it suggests Hendry was being mentored on how to make the most of a short but important appearance. Cena has remained a central part of WWE's WrestleMania conversation, including his recent comments about how WrestleMania 42 could become one of the most discussed editions of the event.

Sources

Joe Hendry while speaking with Sean Ross Sapp