TNA President Carlos Silva addresses Joe Hendry‘s move to WWE.
After appearing on WWE television for months, including a surprise WrestleMania 41 appearance, Hendry signed with the company in November. A report noted that Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels was especially supportive of bringing him in, even going as far as reportedly wanting WWE to buy out Hendry’s TNA contract.
WWE confirmed Hendry’s signing by adding his bio page to the NXT roster, which reads:
“Now a member of the WWE roster, Hendry continues to delight and dazzle the crowds with his signature surprise appearances and his incredible matches.”
TNA President Carlos Silva on Joe Hendry’s WWE signing
Speaking to WrestleZone’s Managing Editor Bill Pritchard in an exclusive interview, TNA President Carlos Silva explained the process that went into Joe Hendry’s transition from his former promotion to WWE NXT.
“Yeah, you know, the way it works is it works as part of our partnership,” he said. “You know, Joe — we were really happy with Joe. I mean, the amount of buzz that TNA received when Joe ran into WrestleMania as the guest wrestler against Randy Orton was amazing. The pop he got inside the arena in Las Vegas was insane. I was there. It was great.
“We worked through it. We’re partners, and good partnerships are give and take on both sides. That’s really how we worked through it over the summer and even as we got into the fall with the transition with Joe.”
Carlos Silva on WWE-TNA partnership
“And look, part of the partnership is that we share talent. So I don’t want to say you just never know who’s going to show up — you know — in a TNA event, an NXT event, or a WWE event. I think we’re going to keep working on that partnership. I would never say that you’re not going to see Joe in TNA.
“Joe is now on the roster at WWE NXT, and he’s doing a great job. But that doesn’t mean he won’t also show up at a TNA event. Those things happen. That’s all part of the partnership.
“I look forward to seeing where he pops up next — but also who pops up where next — because that’s been part of the appeal of the partnership.”
Joe Hendry most recently appeared on the December 2 NXT broadcast, where he teamed up with Je’Von Evans, Myles Borne, and TNA X Division Champion Leon Slater to defeat DarkState. Fans can check out WrestleZone’s full coverage of the show here.
READ MORE: Carlos Silva Expects TNA Will Be Live More Often On AMC
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