Joe Hendry had a mixed time at the Commonwealth Games in 2018.
The TNA star swapped professional wrestling for amateur wrestling in 2018, when he competed for Scotland in the Commonwealth Games.
Despite taking up the sport just two years prior, Hendry performed admirably in the event in Australia. He finished ninth in the competition, but failed to take home a medal.
While it was a huge honour to represent his country, it wasn’t all great for Joe Hendry at the Commonwealth Games.
In a 2020 AMA on Reddit, Joe Hendry was asked about representing Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in 2018. He said it was an amazing experience, but noted that it also sucked at the same time.
He revealed that he earned no money while wrestling for Scotland, while his financial issues at home only grew. The Scot was also banned from streaming on Twitch in the athlete’s village, which meant he lost his subscribers.
Finally, he noted that he wasn’t well-liked due to his professional wrestling background, and that cheating was a huge issue at the competition.
“Honestly, it was amazing and kinda sucked at the same time. It’s a super long story. It broke me financially. I earned £0 doing it, while I’m in Australia and my bills are continuing back home. That really sucked. I also wasn’t allowed to broadcast from the athletes’ village, so I lost most of my Twitch subscribers.”
“Amateur wrestling was my hobby that I did a few times a week, and I just somehow happened to be great at it. People were expecting me to win gold, and I knew it was a tall order. I’ve won two British titles, but there’s a big gap between that and Commonwealth/Olympic medals.”
“Cheating is a major, major issue in amateur sports. It’s very off-putting for clean athletes. Also, because I was the pro wrestler, I felt I wasn’t well-liked by the lifelong athletes, etc. That may have been more in my head. I eventually bonded super well with my team, though.”
Joe Hendry’s Dad Surprised Him At The Commonwealth Games
Despite the hardships, Joe Hendry’s dad made his Commonwealth Games experience one to remember.
He continued, revealing that his father surprised him in Australia at the opening ceremony. Mr Hendry flew from Scotland, calling his son from the stadium just before he appeared at the opening ceremony.
“I will say this, though. I was broke, alone, and going through some personal problems in Australia while this was going on, and I got a call from my dad. I said, ‘Dad, I can’t talk right now, I’m at the opening ceremony.’ He says, ‘Well, where about?'”
“And I said, ‘In the stadium, about to walk out.’ And he said, ‘Well, I’m here.’ My dad spent a chunk of his retirement money to surprise me and see me represent my country. I didn’t win a medal, but afterwards, we hired bikes and rode them around the Gold Coast.”
“Anytime I recall the story, I can’t help but get upset. I don’t know why. My eyes are welling up right now. Just the fact that he did that. We took a picture on the beach with our bikes, and it’s something I’ll never forget. I don’t usually share stuff like that, but I’ll maybe dig out the picture.”
