Cody Rhodes has been a great world champion, but moreover, he’s a greater motivator who helped a lot of youngsters actively or passively to reach their full potential. TNA superstar Joe Hendry is no exception. The 36-year-old got to land on the good grace of Rhodes and turned the wheel of his career for the better.

The American Nightmare helped him to secure an ROH deal that worked as a launching pad for his career. And the TNA star took full advantage as he has now broken into the mainstream.

Joe Hendry owes his wrestling career to Cody Rhodes

After an initial WWE release in 2016, the American Nightmare set out on his worldwide tour to establish himself as a top-tier star in the industry. While he achieved his goal by stepping into the ever-evolving world of massive promotions like NPJW, and AEW, Rhodes also tested his potential through some smaller companies like UK-based indie What Culture Pro Wrestling.

During his short yet impactful time there, he wrestled against a host of WWE big names like Drew Mclntyre, Kurt Angle, and also Joe Hendry. Despite not being able to train Hendry as a student, Rhodes handed him a life-changing piece of information, as he did for many big industry leaders of today.

”Obviously, like at the time, that may not have been the right fit. But rather than just be like No, Cody came to me and he says, ‘I think Ring of Honor is interested in you.’ He said ‘You’re not under contract?’ Because I’d done some stuff with TNA when it was Impact back in 2018 and I think there was the assumption that it was under contract, but I had just done a handful of shows. So Cody set up that call with me and Ring of Honor, and honestly, it was like the deal was done in five minutes. So all of this happened because of that call.” he noted on the most recent edition of the Chris Van Vliet show.

The TNA wrestler jumped on his prized Ring of Honor journey shortly after wrapping up a lackluster ICW stint and never looked back.

Hendry’s exceptional pro-wrestling journey: Explained

In 2016, Hendry made appearances for Ring of Honor. Two years later, he successfully challenged Silas Young for the ROH World Television Championship. His unmatched performances as a tag team alongside Dalton Castle enhanced his reputation. However, the sudden hit of the COVID-19 pandemic brought everything to an abrupt halt. Between 2018 and 2019, Hendry partook in several high-stakes competitions in the World of Sport Wrestling and earned significant recognition. In 2022, he returned to Impact to clinch the Digital Media Championship and scored the longest reign in history. Last but not least, his stupendous NXT debut only added more charm to his storied career graph.

What’s your take on Joe Hendry accrediting Cody Rhodes for his role in shaping his career? Let us know in the comments.