Former TNA President Scott D'Amore remembers that TNA/IMPACT had plans to sign Joe Hendry before he ultimately joined ROH in 2019. D'Amore recalls being informed of Hendry’s potential and the initial obstacle of a visa issue that prevented immediate signing, allowing ROH to sign Hendry first. After Hendry secured his U.S. visa, ROH took him on for a couple of years, and once that arrangement ended, IMPACT moved quickly to pursue Hendry again.
“Not long after, I was in the UK for TNA (then called IMPACT!) and Drumbie had already gotten in Joe’s ear. We met with Joe and he couldn’t have been more impressive. We wanted to sign him there and then, but he didn’t have a U.S. visa, so we did a handful of Canadian dates in 2018 and said we’d work together in the future. Unfortunately for us, when he did get his U.S. visa, Ring of Honor snapped him up for a couple of years.”
Hendry later appeared in action at NXT Gold Rush week, partnering with Thea Hail in the opening match where they challenged Ethan Page and Chelsea Green for the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship, a match which they did not win. D'Amore’s reflections align with reported news that Hendry had signed with WWE, with the context that Hendry had been under contract to WWE’s partner, TNA Wrestling, prior to his ROH signing in 2019.
Overall, the narrative emphasizes the visa hurdle as the key moment that altered Hendry’s career path, allowing ROH to sign him before IMPACT could secure him, and later setting the stage for IMPACT to pursue him again when the ROH arrangement concluded.