TNA World Heavyweight Champion Joe Hendry made a surprising appearance at WWE WrestleMania 41 – Night 2 as the opponent for Randy Orton. Orton ultimately secured the victory in their match.
Hendry recently appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show to discuss his surprise appearance. He defended the match booking and dismissed fans who thought he was “buried” in the encounter. He also touched on comments made by Triple H that suggested this might not be his last WrestleMania appearance. For more on that, click here.
Hendry was revealed as Orton’s mystery opponent after Kevin Owens was sidelined due to a serious neck injury. Other names were considered for the match, including a former WWE Champion.
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that “It should be noted that Orton was given a list of several people and given the option of choosing his opponent after Kevin Owens was injured. Hendry was his choice.”
Cory Hays was the first to report this.
I was informed that multiple names were pitched for Randy Orton’s open challenge at WrestleMania but Orton hand picked Joe Hendry as he is a fan of Hendry and his work
— Cory (@Cory_Hays407) April 22, 2025
