On Sunday at TNA Genesis, Joe Hendry said his name and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship appeared, with Hendry dethroning Nic Nemeth to finally claim the gold. The victory capped off the most successful year of Hendry's career, which saw him become a viral sensation in addition to a wrestling star, and even led to him making several notable appearances on "WWE NXT."
But while Hendry may just be getting started, an old rival of his is ready to stop him in his tracks. In an interview with "Gabby AF" just days before Genesis, TNA star AJ Francis made clear that Hendry was the #1 guy on his list to face in 2025.
"I want Joe Hendry," Francis said. "I made Joe Hendry. A year ago, Joe Hendry was not on the pre-show. Now he's in the World Title [picture] for the main event? What changed? What changed? What changed? Ask him what changed. He'll tell you. Ask him, he'll tell you what changed...Bro, a year ago, both of us were trying to show that we deserve time in TNA. Now we are TNA. You know what I'm saying?"
Francis began his TNA tenure last year by attacking Hendry at Hard to Kill; the two feuded for the early part of the year before Francis defeated Hendry in singles action on an episode of "Impact." While Hendry has since defeated Francis in tag team action, he has yet to pick up a singles win over Francis in TNA, giving Francis a potential in for a TNA Heavyweight title shot.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Gabby AF" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
