WWE: New Champion Declares Intent to Face John Cena on His Farewell Tour
New TNA World Champion Joe Hendry reacts to John Cena’s social media post about WWE-TNA partnership, continues campaign for potential match.
Joe Hendry captured the TNA World Championship at Genesis 2025, defeating Nic Nemeth in a singles match. Following his victory, Hendry maintained his interest in a potential match with John Cena.
John Cena posted on Instagram regarding WWE and TNA’s new multi-year partnership announcement. The post featured imagery representing both companies. Hendry responded to Cena’s post with his signature GIF, maintaining his social media style of communicating through images rather than text.
Cena previously announced his retirement from in-ring competition at the end of 2025. Multiple wrestlers have expressed interest in facing Cena before his retirement, including CM Punk and Bron Breakker. Hendry has repeatedly indicated his desire to compete against Cena through various social media posts.
WWE-TNA Partnership
WWE and TNA Wrestling established their multi-year partnership agreement on January 16. The collaboration allows talent exchanges between WWE NXT and TNA Wrestling programming.
The partnership began with Jordynne Grace competing in the Women’s Royal Rumble Match. Additional crossovers included appearances by Grace, Hendry, and Frankie Kazarian in NXT. WWE’s Arianna Grace, Karmen Petrovic, Dante Chen, and Wolfgang performed on TNA programming.
Cena announced his entry into the Royal Rumble match during his January 6 RAW appearance, marking the beginning of his retirement tour.
