Joe Hendry lasted just 32 seconds against Bronson Reed on this week’s WWE Main Event, and plenty of fans aren’t happy about it.
The match closed the October 28 episode, which was taped October 26 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California, and streamed on Rumble. Hendry came out to perform his “Fire Logan Paul” song and got one verse in before Paul interrupted. Paul said he still isn’t medically cleared to wrestle, then introduced Reed as his replacement for an impromptu match.
Hendry struck first, diving over the top rope onto Reed during his entrance. Once the bell rang, it was all Reed. He hit back-to-back splashes and a Death Valley Driver, then put Hendry away with the Tsunami. Reed went back up for a second Tsunami after the match as Paul looked on.
Fans question how WWE is using Hendry
The reaction on social media was swift. Fans questioned why WWE signed Hendry if this is how he’d be presented, called for a real push, and joked that he was one loss away from full-time enhancement work or a spot on the next release list.
The setting added to the frustration. Main Event is a low-stakes taping that moved from YouTube to Rumble earlier this month, not a featured slot on Raw. It’s also Hendry’s second straight loss after JD McDonagh beat him on the October 19 edition of Raw with help from Dominik Mysterio.
The timing is awkward, too. Days earlier, Hendry told TV Insider he knows he can be a top draw for WWE, pointing to his numbers as proof. He also told the Michael Fairman Channel he would “never say never” to a heel turn, noting that the character he plays “was designed to be hated and people just happened to like it.”
For Reed, the win is a reset after Oba Femi beat him at Money in the Bank on October 10, a result that led Femi to call out Roman Reigns once again. For Hendry, the Paul feud still has no in-ring payoff while Paul recovers from the triceps tear he suffered in May. The last time The Vision went after Hendry over that song, Austin Theory attacked him with a steel chair on Raw.
