Joe Hendry knew exactly what people were saying. After the concert segment featuring himself and Danhausen on the July 27 edition of WWE RAW turned into one of the most criticized WWE moments of the year, with fans hammering it across social media, YouTube and Cagematch, Hendry has finally addressed the backlash—and he isn’t pretending it never happened.
Speaking on the Cheap Heat podcast, Hendry admitted criticism can sting, especially because of how seriously he takes his job. He explained that ever since signing with WWE, he’s thrown himself completely into improving, relocating to Orlando, working NXT live events and trying to learn everything he possibly can.
“My thoughts are this, and I’ll be upfront and honest about this. We are all extremely passionate about what we do. When I signed with WWE, I made the decision that I was going to move to Orlando. I was going to not only commit 100% to NXT, go to the classes, and absorb as much knowledge as I could. I wanted to work all the live shows. That’s the attitude I take to WWE.”
For Hendry, that effort has always been about one thing. Giving fans something worth watching. He admitted that not every idea is going to connect, but insisted he’ll never stop taking risks if it means trying to entertain the audience.
“The reason I brought it up is because we’re so passionate about this business, and the goal has always been for me to give the audience value. I’ll say this: we give absolutely everything. I give my best efforts and try a lot of things. Some things will land, some things won’t, but I will always give it my best.”
Hendry also didn’t dodge the obvious question. Was the backlash difficult to deal with? His answer was honest. He said his entire WWE journey has been built on fan support, from the Royal Rumble to WrestleMania, which is exactly why criticism can hit hard when people feel he missed the mark. Because of that, Hendry says disappointing fans is never something he brushes aside.
“Was I negatively affected? Um, I feel the fans have put me in this position. So let me talk about WrestleMania. It was because of the fan reaction. That happened because of the reactions I had at the Royal Rumble, and the Rumble happened because of the reactions I had up until that point. So I want to give fans my best. So if it’s a situation where I haven’t, it can be painful. It depends on how you move forward, and that’s the real challenge.”
Hendry’s comments come just days after the July 27 edition of RAW became one of the lowest-rated episodes in Cagematch history, with Ryan Garcia’s appearance alongside Hendry and Danhausen drawing much of the criticism from fans online.
Whether fans loved the segment or hated it, Hendry made one thing clear—he isn’t running away from the reaction, and he isn’t planning to stop trying new things because of it.
What did you think of Joe Hendry’s response? Do you respect him for addressing the criticism, or do you think fans were right about the segment? Let us know in the comments below.
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