Joe Hendry Replaced By AEW Star After Royal Rumble Surprise

Joe Hendry was quickly brought down to the earth after his Royal Rumble appearance.

On February 1, Joe Hendry made a surprise appearance in the men’s Royal Rumble match, although he was quickly eliminated by Roman Reigns. However, the appearance might have been as important for what happened backstage as what took place in the ring.

Hendry has made no secret of his desire to face John Cena before he retires, and he saw an opportunity to lay some groundwork.

In an interview with Ariel Helwani after the event, Joe Hendry revealed he spoke at length with John Cena backstage, who challenged him to make a match between them possible.

He is the greatest. Basically, what he did say is the fortune favors the bold. What he made clear is that, if I want that match to happen, it’s on my shoulders. I have to make it happen and I have to generate the interest to make it happen. It was almost like a challenge.

Joe Hendry Missed Planned Appearance

As reported by Mike Johnson of PWInsider, Hendry ended up missing the Jericho Cruise 2025: Six On The Beach, which also took place during Royal Rumble weekend. The star had been due to be part of the cruise when it left Florida, but these plans changed when Hendry was he was booked for the Rumble match.

However, he still intended to be part of the cruise by linking up with everyone in the Dominican Republic before sailing back to the United States. But those plans fell through due to not having the correct paperwork, so he was unable to fly to the DR, although he spent all of Sunday trying to do so.

His spot in a scheduled Q&A was taken by Toni Storm.

During his interview with Ariel Helwani, Hendry confirmed he told Jericho he wanted to keep the weekend free if he was needed for the Rumble. He added that Jericho understood and said he could join up with the cruise later on if he was booked in Indianapolis.