Joe Hendry opened up about what the NXT Championship means to him during a red carpet interview with Denise Salcedo at the WWE 2K26 Creator Fest, held at WWE Headquarters — and he tied the title directly to the grind at the Performance Center.
Asked whether becoming NXT Champion lived up to everything he had hoped for, Hendry said the belt represents far more than a career milestone.
This championship is really the physical embodiment of being at the Performance Center every day and learning as much as I can and committing to the process and just giving 100% every day on a daily basis to learn more about what it takes to be a WWE Superstar.
Hendry also revealed that his relationship with the Performance Center predates his official WWE signing, noting the training partnership was in place even before he formally joined the company.
That early access gave him a head start on assimilating into the WWE system — something he credits directly for his eventual title run.
Three Coaches Named
Hendry won the NXT Championship in a seven-man Ladder Match earlier this month, a moment that capped a long-running journey through NXT's ranks. In the Salcedo interview, he gave a rare public shoutout to the coaching staff that helped shape him.
I'm proud to train with Terry Taylor every day and to learn from Shawn Michaels every week and get coaching direction from Matt Bloom on what I need to work on next.
The specificity of the callout stands out. Namedropping Terry Taylor, Shawn Michaels, and Matt Bloom in one breath gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at the infrastructure behind NXT's talent development pipeline.
When Salcedo asked about his goals going forward with the title, Hendry didn't address the question directly — instead keeping his answer firmly rooted in gratitude and reflection.
To actually be the champion now and represent NXT, it's an unbelievable feeling and I take a lot of pride in that.
Hendry is set to defend the NXT Championship against Ricky Saints at NXT Vengeance Day on March 7, where Saints will look to back up his claim that Hendry is nothing more than a "meme champion." Based on everything Hendry said at Creator Fest, he's savoring every moment of the reign — and has no plans of letting go anytime soon.
