“Keep it coming,” 36-year-old star gives stunning response to online discourse claiming he was buried by Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41

Competing in his twentieth WrestleMania match, Randy Orton scored a quick win over TNA's world champion.

Randy Orton (via- WWE)

This year marked Randy Orton‘s 20th anniversary at WrestleMania. There were concerns of him potentially being axed from the show after Kevin Owens pulled out due to a neck injury. However, The Viper’s open challenge got answered by none other than the TNA World Champion Joe Hendry at The Show of Shows. Hendry, stepping through the forbidden door, got defeated in about 3 minutes.

An online discourse would follow, underscoring that WWE had buried TNA‘s top guy just like that. However, what does Joe think about it? To him, if what he did out there with Orton was getting buried, Hendry never wants it to end. The 36-year-old responded to the perceived backlash on his WrestleMania debut while speaking to Ariel Helwani on his show.

The Scot emphasized that his showdown with Randy went like it did by design. Hendry asserted that it was a featured match that was a watershed moment in the illustrious career of Orton. The TNA star also reminisced about watching The Apex Predator while growing up, so getting the chance to share the ring with the 14-time World Champion at WrestleMania was a dream come true for Hendry.

The Prestigious One also recalled William Regal‘s words during one of the sessions at the WWE Performance Center with other recruits. Joe revealed that Regal told everyone that if they aspire to work with names like Randy Orton and Roman Reigns in the future, they’d have to prove themselves as reliable players. Interestingly, in Joe’s surprise Royal Rumble match appearance back in January, he did get the chance to mix it up with The OTC, though briefly.

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Joe Hendry was handpicked by Randy Orton for WrestleMania 41

Had it not been for an unfortunate turn of events sidelining Kevin Owens right before WrestleMania, Randy Orton would’ve been his opponent. However, once The Prizefighter announced on SmackDown that he’d need to undergo neck surgery, WWE needed someone to replace the Canuck. Per Wrestling Observer Newsletter, The Viper was given a list of opponents to choose from for whom he’d like to be in the ring with at WrestleMania 41.

The 45-year-old handpicked Joe Hendry. The latter, in the same interview as above with Ariel Helwani, revealed how he got approached about it. The Glasgow-born wrestler received a text from Triple H when he was around for WWE World. The Game asked if they could talk. At first, Joe thought he’d be integrated into the WWE Slammys, which were slated during WrestleMania weekend.

Randy Orton was given a list of several people and given the option of choosing his WrestleMania opponent after Kevin Owens was injured.

Joe Hendry was his choice.

– WON pic.twitter.com/NM7s0MiHXv
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) April 25, 2025

However, Hendry was shocked when The Cerebral Assassin broached that Orton was without an opponent at The Showcase of the Immortals. The rest, as they say, is history. Joe’s entrance received one of the loudest crowd reactions from the Sin City crowd at Allegiant Stadium. And, of course, The Viper was visibly impressed, as caught by the WWE cameras.

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Randy Orton chases 15th world title in a pursuit to upset John Cena

After adding yet another feather to his cap at WrestleMania 41, Randy Orton pulled up to the Raw after the ‘big dance’ in Vegas. He eventually RKOed an outspoken John Cena, who’d created history by dethroning Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE title. After that segment, it was pretty much clear that the company didn’t want to hold Cena vs. Orton off for a later date.

WrestleVotes has stated that their clash at Backlash will be dubbed as “one last time.” The match was made official after their latest faceoff on this week’s SmackDown. The Legend Killer asked Cena to have kids, as that’s only how he could fill the void that’s been driving him insane.

Surprise, surprise: The main event of Backlash is set to be John Cena vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship—billed as “one last time.”

This will be their first singles match since 2/11/17, when they headlined a house show in New Mexico.
— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) April 25, 2025

The Peacemaker actor clapped back, saying he was getting parent-shamed. John asserted that he’s raised a slew of kids over the years better than their own parents could ever do. During the closing moments, Cena attacked Orton but ended up taking yet another RKO.