Joe Hendry is Running on Fumes in NXT Main Event Scene

The Slammiversary main event will feature former NXT champion and current WWE superstar Trick Williams defending his TNA World title against the company's rising star, Mike Santanna, and the universal Joe Hendry.

Hendry has had a better year in WWE than some of the promotion's actual wrestlers, and NXT has been the focus of that run. However, Joe Hendry is running on fumes in NXT, and while the TNA title match is not on the WWE docket anymore, it was a month or so ago. Joe Hendry is unlikely to regain his title. Whoever does walk out of Slamiversary as the top of the mountain on TNA should move past Hendry, as Hendry should stay out of WWE programming for a while.

Absence will always make the heart grow fonder

Joe Hendry was over in WWE for many reasons, many of which were due to his hard work and talent. Another reason, and a significant factor in why Joe Hendry is now running on fumes in NXT, rather than in his meteoric heights, was the circumstances of his appearances. Nobody expected to see the NXTNA partnership include Hendry or Williams, among many others. With each teaser and program, the WWE Universe was getting something that years ago would have been unthinkable, which meshed well with the sporadic nature of his appearances to keep fans excited. The sustained support, though, led to more frequent involvement, which eroded the balance.

If Joe Hendry keeps appearing in a WWE ring with his TNA counterparts, it won't feel exciting or interesting for him to make these appearances. What started with an unbelievable has culminated in a WrestleMania match with Randy Orton, and rumors abound that Hendry should retire John Cena. He is no longer a novelty with a resume like that. He is a WWE superstar who isn't on television enough for fans to connect with him truly. He can be a novelty attraction or a WWE mainstay; they want him to be both. At this point in his career, with the amount of television time he has had in front of the WWE Universe, novelty is much easier to pull off; just let him leave for a long while.

The pitfalls of being an "underdog" as the leader of the pack

Another issue with Hendry's current booking is that he is the plucky underdog that the fans pushed to the summit. The thrill of the chase, of wanting to see the fans' choice, the average man rising to new heights, is what powers those champions. However, they do not always succeed at keeping fans' interest once they win the big one. After they become the world champions, they are less connected to the fans. It's no longer about cheering on a man with a dream. Instead, it's supporting this superstar as your favorite, a much harder sell in the varied and fast world of professional wrestling.

Joe Hendry has been in the main event scene of both NXT and TNA for a while now. In fact, he is the bridge that puts the two of them together. You pair that with his taking up a spot at WrestleMania, the Royal Rumble, and countless NXT main event matches. Joe Hendry is no longer an underdog; he is no longer being discounted. In his program now, that role goes to the underutilized and overperforming Santana. Trick Williams is the Champion for the big leagues, while Hendry has had more Mania moments than anyone else on the NXT roster so far. Fans looking to cheer for the long odds that make wrestling so much fun to watch have moved on. Believing in Joe Hendry is no longer an act of blind faith. He is a main eventer who is always a possible champion and perhaps a perennial contender.

Joe Hendry is running on fumes in NXT, but Impact alone can bring him back

One of the best promotions of the last two years from a product standpoint has been TNA, and their Impact show is consistently a fun watch. Hendry's journey toward the TNA title was well-positioned on the card until the NXT Championship ended up in the mix. The initial reaction to his inclusion was rightfully raucous. The partnership was unprecedented, and Joe had already gained significant online attention. However, his eventual TNA Title win and reign became a WWE plot. Worse, it was a WWE plot with some of the key beats and backstory happening off-screen in another promotion. That Hendry has faded since working with WWE is not an indictment on him or this partnership. It is a sign of a lack of focus.

The truth is that TNA made Joe Hendry a star that WWE could rely on, and in some ways, it has made the deal with TNA possible. Remembering where he reached the top is essential now that his star is fading. It would be unwise to try to predict what a wrestler is thinking or feeling based on assumptions or external factors. Still, a WWE contract did not look totally out of the realm of possibility when he made his WrestleMania debut. If he wants to be that man, and not a meme that WWE cultivated to extinction, he needs to change the game again on TNA. He may find a new way to persuade the people, or make them regret having ever done it in the first place.