TNA Wrestling World Champion Joe Hendry recently appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show and finally addressed a question fans had been wondering for weeks: how far in advance did he know he would be facing Randy Orton at WWE WrestleMania 41?

Hendry admitted that he had kept the detail under wraps until now.

“So I’ve actually never answered this question,” Hendry said. “I’ve evaded this question every time someone has asked it. But Ariel, because it’s you, I will answer it. I found out about a week before. I had to sit on this for a week!”

He went on to reveal how the news was delivered, via a message from none other than Triple H. Hendry recalled the moment clearly, explaining that he was at the airport when the text came through.

“So I was in the airport and I got a text from Triple H, saying, ‘Can you talk?’ And I was [going to be] at WWE World. I was scheduled to be there to be signing things. I thought maybe something to the effect of they got the Slammys, or it might be doing a promo at WWE World. So I’m kinda expecting that’s what the call is going to be.”

Then came the bombshell.

“And Triple H says, ‘Listen, I’m sure you’re aware that Randy needs an opponent.’ And yeah, that threw me off completely. I was in a state of shock, but I just knew there was a job to be done. I knew in my mind when I approach these things, I just want to bring as much value as possible. And I want this to be the best moment that we can possibly make it.”

The TNA star beamed with pride as he reflected on the momentous experience.

“And I’m so proud of what we did out there. That shot of the spin around into the RKO is now being made into a trading card. I think it was a really fun moment for the fans. Walking to the ring in front of 60,000 people was a huge moment for me. And what an honor to share the ring with Randy Orton. I just wrestled Randy Orton at WrestleMania. What is going on?”

"I found out about [WrestleMania] a week before. I had to sit on this for a week. I got a text from Triple H, saying, can you talk... Triple H says, 'Listen, I'm sure you're aware that, Randy needs an opponent.' And yeah, that threw me off completely. I was in a state of shock,… pic.twitter.com/ztW5WbV1t5

, Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 23, 2025