Joe Hendry’s NXT journey began way before he won the NXT Championship on the February 3, 2026 episode of NXT. In the summer of 2024, NXT began a working relationship with TNA Wrestling, with him making several appearances for the rest of the year. He then appeared at the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania last year before signing with WWE in November.
But on the April 14 NXT, he had a concert after losing the NXT Championship at Stand & Deliver. He teased going to the main roster, but before any words about that could come out, Keanu Carver attacked him. Even though he got hit with the guitar, Carver attacked security guards and speared Hendry through the barricade. It seems now that Hendry is headed to the main roster. If that’s the case, this was a great way to send him there.
It’s Time for Hendry to Go to the Main Roster
Every year around this time, NXT veterans say goodbye and head to Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown. Some of those wrestlers only stayed for a short time, as they’ve been wrestling for several years. Others had long reigns with championships, and deserve the call up. Hendry is in both categories. He’s been wrestling for over a decade and he just had a reign as NXT Champion.
With a new batch of talent getting spotlighted, the veterans move up so they don’t keep opportunities away from young wrestlers. It won’t be a challenge for him, as he’s had several appearances already on the main roster. In addition, he’ll get to sing for hundreds of more people on the main roster, which will make his popularity grow even more. He’s more than deserving of a main roster call up, which will probably happen immediately.
Carver is Being Positioned as the Next Monster Heel
If there’s one guy that WWE is really putting the spotlight on right now, it’s Carver. He made a huge impact on WWE LFG and Evolve, and now he’s bringing destruction to NXT. His rivalry with Booker T has been fun to watch, and he’s already tried to get physical with him several times. He won against Jasper Troy before beating him and Josh Briggs in a triple threat match, showing his athletic dominance in a huge way.
Now he potentially sent Hendry to the main roster, which will get him more heat with the fans. But that’s a good thing, as NXT now has a new monster heel that can wreck everyone in his path. It’s only a matter of time before he challenges for the NXT Championship. If that happens, it wouldn’t be surprising if he wins it on his first try.
The Attack Works Out for Both Men
To some people, this might look like the typical heel on face attack. Carver will get boos from the fans while Hendry will get sympathy from them. But this attack is much more than that. Since this is the time of year where call ups happen, a new set of wrestlers make their presence known. It’s pretty clear that Hendry deserves a main roster call up.
Instead of him simply going up after Stand & Deliver, one final concert on night 1 of NXT Revenge was needed so he could move up properly. Unfortunately for his many fans, it was ruined by Carver’s attack. This positions him as NXT’s newest monster heel, someone that delights in pushing people around and winning matches convincingly. Hendry can now get called up to Raw or SmackDown while Carver can get a push that hopefully gets him a championship.
