John Cena has been the epitome of childhood nostalgia for an entire generation. The recent NXT sensation, Joe Hendry, isn’t the exception. After the recent WWE-NXT deal, Hendry stepped into the developmental brand and became the new talk of the town. After scoring his first win against Ethan Page and Shawn Spears, the TNA Wrestling star stirred the idea of his potential WWE signing to a great extent. On top, his cryptic social media update following John Cena’s retirement announcement on Money in the Bank 2024 led to the belief that he wants something to do with the 16-time WWE world champion.

Proving the hearsay true, the 36-year-old explained why he wanted to meet the Cenation leader from the opposite end of the ring once in his life.

Joe Hendry had an emotional phone call with John Cena as a teen fan

Hendry previously revealed his desire to have a match with Cena, which got triggered after he posted a photo of the veteran on his IG feed following the emotional John Cena segment on MITB. But fans might be thrilled by knowing where the seed of his desire has its roots. It’s a 21-year-old story of an ardent child getting a piece of his WWE hero in real life.

Elucidating the surreal emotion, the 36-year-old noted, ”When I was 15 years old, there was a wrestling show, and I’d never been to a live wrestling show before, I wanted to go but I couldn’t go, my friend went, and he got the VIP package and my phone rings answered the phone, it’s my friend, Kyle’s phone but the person answered the phone said, yo it’s your boy, John Cena, my friend asked John Cena my friend couldn’t make it but can you call him and John Cena talked to me for 5-10 minutes.

”There was a huge queue at this VIP thing because my friend told him that he couldn’t, that I couldn’t make it, you know? So, John Cena was the first ever wrestler I have talked to. I had a tryout in 2013 and I told him, but Cema has thousands of people telling him so I wouldn’t expect him to remember that.” he added.

Hendry continued explaining his feelings, noting how profoundly and positively Cena impacted the business. Moving ahead, the 36-year-old, might himself rise to the rank of his idol someday.

Joe Hendry, the next John Cena: Explained

Hendry has currently been basking in the spotlight. Amidst the excessive hype about his career, Moose, the defending TNA Champion, recently made a unique comparison between John Cena and Joe Hendry. Despite being a past rival, Moose didn’t shy away from expressing how he admires Hendry. During a recent interview with WhatCulture, the top TNA star noted that he believes Joe Hendry stands on the verge of becoming the next John Cena.

He has seen him fall getting cornered in the locker room and rising above all the odds with the tremendous hard work and willpower. However, Moose stays focused on his goal of defeating Hendry in the upcoming world championship bout, outlining a healthy balance between on-screen and off-screen dynamics.

What’s your take on the real reason behind Joe Hendry’s John Cena fascination? Let us know in the comments.