TNA World Champion Joe Hendry not only made an appearance at WWE WrestleMania 41 this past weekend, but he ended up competing as the mystery opponent for Randy Orton.
Fightfulselect.com reports that when WWE learned that Kevin Owens would be sidelined indefinitely with a serious neck injury, they had put the "wheels in motion" to inquire about whether Hendry would be available to wrestle Orton and it is believed that Orton specifically requested/picked Hendry. While it was kept very quiet within WWE circles with the company keeping him hidden and off internal run sheets, those in TNA apparently found out on Saturday that he would be wrestling Orton. The match itself was short and Orton went over easily which had a lot of fans wondering why TNA would send their champion to lose in such fashion but it didn't raise many eyebrows backtage within TNA as most simply saw it as additional exposure for the promotion.
WWE continues to show interest in Hendry both long-term and for short-term appearances though he remains under TNA contract. It is believed though that his deal will expire within the next year and Hendry has already hired an agent to represent him in negotiations. It goes without saying that when his TNA deal runs out, WWE would continue to show interest in signing him.
There was a recent story earlier this month that suggested that WWE wanted to use Hendry in a Raw appearance and subsequent match against The Miz but it was nixed by TNA official Ariel Shnerer as it would have resulted in the TNA champion taking a loss. One rumor going around within TNA is that Shnerer rejecting WWE's plan with Hendry-Miz contributed to his eventual termination from TNA.
