Joe Hendry Transformed Meme Culture Into One Of Wrestling's Hottest Debuts

Heading into WWE WrestleMania 41, Randy Orton's opponent remained a mystery, with Kevin Owens forced to miss the event due to injury. Orton's open challenge was answered by TNA star Joe Hendry, making his WWE main roster singles debut on the biggest stage the promotion has to offer.

Orton made quick work of Hendry, putting him away with an RKO after just a few minutes and hitting a second RKO after the bell for good measure. Still, it was undeniably a big moment for Hendry. It was also something that had been building for a long time, with Hendry making a name for himself over the last few years.

Much of Hendry's popularity stems from his theme music, which he sings himself. Hendry first released this entrance music back in 2019, not long after his first run with TNA came to an end. The track, called "I Believe In Joe Hendry," eventually caught on as a meme and has now been widely circulated around the internet, primarily starting in the spring of 2024. The popularity of the song transformed Hendry's career, leading to a push in TNA and eventually resulting in WWE bringing Hendry in as a guest star.

While his entrance music wasn't an immediate sensation, Hendry was clearly happy with the tune and continued to use it for the next few years. In 2023, he decided to make an updated music video, but it wasn't until Hendry began posting edited clips featuring the song to social media that it began to make a stronger impact.

The song begins with the lyric, "Say his name and he appears," and the accompanying music video shows Hendry turning around with a goofy smile on his face. The meme features this clip inserted into popular movies and TV shows. Hendry's videos began spreading around platforms like TikTok and Instagram, with fans soon joining in on the fun by making their own edits.

At this point, Hendry was already climbing up the card in TNA, including a lengthy reign with the company's Digital Media Championship. However, as his meme began to take off online, it also resulted in his theme music reaching the iTunes charts in the United Kingdom, and TNA officials took notice. He entered into a world title program against Nic Nemeth and eventually won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, and that was just the beginning for Hendry.

The timing of Hendry's rise could hardly have been better, as it lined up with TNA expanding their WWE partnership. Just as TNA had taken notice of Hendry's online popularity, WWE had done the same.

In June 2024, a few short months after his music went viral, Hendry made his first WWE appearance since a one-off guest spot in 2014, taking part in a battle royale on "WWE NXT." He continued making appearances on the show in the months following his in-ring debut, building to a shot against Ethan Page for the WWE NXT Championship in September. Hendry lost that match, but it was becoming clear that WWE had strong interest in Hendry.

Fast forward to the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble. While still serving as the TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Hendry made an appearance in the titular match. Similar to his future WrestleMania appearance, the TNA star lasted for roughly three minutes before being eliminated, this time by Roman Reigns.

Following his brief match against Orton at WrestleMania, Hendry didn't disappear from the face of the earth. He showed back up in "NXT" the following Tuesday, re-entering the title picture. While his future in the company remains to be seen, it's safe to say that WWE seems interested in signing Hendry when his time with TNA comes to an end.