Kevin Owens Addresses Joe Hendry Replacing Him at WrestleMania 41

Kevin Owens announced back in April that he needed neck surgery, which led to him pulling out of his scheduled WrestleMania 41 match against Randy Orton. Joe Hendry ultimately replaced Owens and now Owens has addressed Hendry wrestling in his place.

While speaking to le10Sport, Kevin Owens was asked about being replaced by Joe Hendry at WrestleMania 41. The Prizefighter said that Hendry was the best possible choice. Owens explained that his original match with Orton was meant to be violent, something that needed time to build. He felt it wouldn’t have worked to throw in someone new for that kind of match.

Owens said when Joe Hendry came out and his music hit, the crowd was excited, singing along, and everyone seemed happy. Kevin said it was a special moment. Even though it wasn’t the kind of match he and Randy planned, it was still fun to watch. He also said it was different from the other matches on the show, which he thinks is a good thing.

Kevin Owens doesn’t know Joe Hendry very well but said he seems like a good guy. He was happy for him and hopes it’s just the start of more big moments in Hendry’s career.

“I think it was the best possible choice because the match between me and Randy (Orton) was supposed to be very intense, very violent. But building a story like that takes time. I don’t think Randy could have had that type of match with someone else coming out of nowhere. It would be hard to argue with that: when people realized it was him and his music started, the whole crowd was excited, everyone in the stadium was happy, everyone in the stadium was singing along… It was a special moment. It definitely wasn’t the match that Randy and I would have had, obviously, but it was entertaining.

And then when you look at all the matches at that WrestleMania, I think it was a very different match from the rest of the card, I think that’s a good thing. So in my opinion, it was a good decision. I liked the way it went. And for Joe Hendry too, I don’t know him much but he seems like a good guy. I can’t imagine how special it was for him to experience that. So I’m happy for him too and I hope it was his first, but not his last.”

Former TNA World Champion Joe Hendry was announced as Randy Orton’s surprise opponent and Hendry got squashed by Orton, but as Owens said, it was definitely a memorable moment for Hendry and fans in general.

The Prizefighter has also explained that he hasn’t had neck surgery yet because doctors are waiting for his condition to develop before moving forward. Regardless, we’ll have to see what the future holds for Kevin Owens as nothing is certain at this point in time.