Joe Hendry is a star waiting to happen

WWE NXT continues to be one of, if not the best, weekly content from the major promotions in professional wrestling. It’s a consistent mix of entertainment and strong in-ring performances, with enough wackiness thrown in to keep people talking. The same was true for the June 19 episode that featured an easily predictable, but strong-received appearance by Joe Hendry. If nothing else was clear, this guy has “star” written all over him.

Signed to TNA Wrestling, Hendry has become a social media maven in the last few months. The moment that news broke of WWE working more closely with TNA via Jordynne Grace’s surprise appearance in NXT, fans wanted nothing more than Hendry to be next. Even Drew McIntyre was hit with questions about his former foe.

All that came to ahead on the Tuesday episode. The second his music hit, those in attendance at the Performance Center jumped to their feet to sing. Even the camera shook at the rousing ovation. Joe Hendry is a star and it will be interesting to see what comes next.

Even though Hendry is well beyond “over” with the wresting fanbase, he’s still considered much of a mid-card performer in TNA. At TNA Against All Odds, he was defeated by Frankie Kazarian in a fight that lasted less than eight minutes. He’s held the Impact Digital Media Championship, which is the company’s equivalent to the Television Championship. But the real question is whether he’s going to get the opportunity to break through to the upper echelon of the roster.

At 36 years old, Hendry brings more than a decade of experience into the ring. Experience that is built upon a strong martial arts background. He has the look and the physique to be an attraction within wrestling, and his in-ring skills translate as well. According to Cagematch, his cumulative match rating sits at an 8.07 which is especially strong, especially in today’s age of critique.

These last few months should be more than enough to build trust between the decision makers behind the scenes at TNA. Hendry nearly pushed his theme song to the top of the UK music streaming charts. While it was more tongue-in-cheek than anything else, it still caught the eye of wrestling fans, even those that do not tune into TNA. Has he shown the ability to be a draw by today’s standards? That’s a bigger and tougher question to answer, but it is clear he’s generating a buzz within wrestling. Just a glimpse at his performance within Google Trends shows an upward trajectory and TNA would be ridiculous to not capitalize on that momentum.

Professional wrestling is in such an enjoyable space today. There’s crossover among major companies, and it is still surprising to see WWE willing to partner with other promotions. Performers like Joe Hendry can take advantage of the Forbidden Door or Prohibited Portal finally opening and push their way to superstardom.