Clap, clap.
For anyone who has no idea why I added two claps has not been bombarded on XorTikTokthe last few days. You are missing out on an earworm that has folks from London and Paris and Tokyo, America, Scotland Canada and Mexico believing inTNAwrestlerJoe Hendry.
For years, Hendry has gained recognition and stood out by writing, performing, and singing his songs on the way to the ring. Joe also pens hilarious parody diss tracks to shame the wrestlers he is feuding with. Hits include “Edge’s B***h” forMatt Cardona, with more recent tracks “I Am” and “Cheez-It Champion” aiming atAJ Francisbefore their match at TNA’sRebellionPPV.
Arguably, his biggest success so far is his entrance music: “I Believe in Joe Hendry”. The song debuted last year when TNA was stillImpact Wrestling. At present the song has 407K views onYouTube.
The track is going viral. Now Hendry, who was a musician before wrestling and was signed bySony’smusic label, has picked a new opponent: the UK Singles Chart.
On 16th April, Joe Hendry posted onXthe following tweet:
“Apparentlyit only takes around 4,000 single sales to enter the charts
Which would force BBC Radio 1 to play ‘I Believe in Joe Hendry’.”
What do we think?”
So Cheesy and So Memeable and It Gets Stuck In Your Head
“I Believe In Joe Hendry” haunts my brain even when I am not on X. I can’t scroll without being greeted by Hendry’s face.
The dazzling white teeth. The smiling wide cheesy of a man who looks so sickeningly happy. Like he’s a cross between a pop star and that overly enthusiastic salesman. The blank white void of space behind him that exists is only so bad they’re good old-school music videos from history. LikeGenesis’“I Can’t Dance”, only instead of a dance, it’s hand clapping. OroTake That’s“Do What You Like”.without the dancing or food-fighting.
The repeated scene of Hendry’s easy-to-copy signature move, the double clap, is such a copiable and accessible move. Like iconic music videos, it’s got a dance move associated with its artist. Clap, clap. The simplicity of this and the easy call-and-respond nature of it means it can be used by anyone at a wrestling show, street corner or dance floor. Then add in the waving your hands from side to side like you are at a concert, a football game drunk or both. Simple, cheesy, and universally fun.
Spliced between scenes of Hendry, standing on top of what I believe is Arthur’s Seat, an extinct volcano in Edinburgh, Hendry looks like he’s king of the world. His silk shirt and white trousers look like they might rip under the intensity of his guitar shredding. It evokes the cheesy nostalgia of classic music videos that the internet has both made fun of and adopted with childish glee. It’s perfect mem fodder and led to the song’s success on TikTok.
Read the 1,219 (at the time of writing) comments onYouTubeto see how many folks believe.
Why Else Should You Believe is Joe Hendry?
Beyond the catchy and funny music parodies, Hendry is a wrestler who has been rising for some time. Evolving through a list of progressively grander nicknames.
From “The Local Hero”, a reference to a segment in the UK music magazineKerrang!, to “Stadium Joe”. The latter was fuelled by the idea of Joe’s delusions of being a headline music performer. Although, Hendry beyond music and wrestling has competed on large stages in front of big crowds before. Hendry represented Team Scotland in the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia as an amateur wrestler.
This is the base of Hendry’s powerhouse and technical wrestling prowess. As an amateur wrestler, Hendry won the British Senior National Championship in Greco-Roman wrestling in 2018. Also, he has a black belt in judo and holds a degree Master’s degree in business and marketing. The latter of which has helped him make his songs so ear-grabbing.
Hendry’s ability to go from “The Global Hero” and now the “Prestigious One” has come with years of grind. It all started in his native Scotland. Trained bySource Wrestling Schoolin Glasgow and competing early on for promotions such asInsane Championship Wrestling.
Hendry was later a prominent figure inWhatCulture’s WCPW/DefiantChampion and Internet Champion. He also featured on ITV’s short-lived arrival of the classic World of Sport Wrestling in 2018. The slow transition to the North America indie scene started in 2018, Hendry had matchesfor Ring of HonourandImpact Wrestlingbefore signing with Impact in 2022. There are grappling skills behind Hendry’s smooth personality.
Career Mode
Hendry has the catchphrase and aura that can grab fans. All things that could rival the popularity of WWE wrestlers likeLA Knightand the chants of “yeah” he induces with every hit. WWE at one stage was the destination. Hendry once reported as stating. “I will become the WWE champion”, at an event in Canada bySlam! Wrestling.
Physically, Hendry has the look of aWWEsuperstar in the making. On X, some users have even described Hendry as looking like a created wrestler from a WWE videogame.
Hendry also told Slam! Wrestling’sCaleb Smith: “My journey through professional wrestling feels like I have been playing the WWE video game and you play the career mode.” (full interview can be foundhere)
Given the viral success already of “I Believe in Joe Hendry” and WWE now regularly putting PLEs in the UK, one might wonder if WWE is also listening. Waiting for Hendry to become a free agent. This yearClash at the Castleis in Scotland. If a “Local Hero” was able to debut, I think there would be sore hands and voices across Glasgow.
Wrestling and Music History
Hendry is not the first wrestler to crossover into music.Captain Lou AlbanoplayedCyndi Lauper’sdad in the “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” music video. Tied intoRock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection, WWE releasedThe Wrestling Albumin 1985. It reached 84 on the US Billboard Album Chart. It also gave us the classic and hilarious “Land of a Thousand Dances”.
The following year, theAWAfollowed suit with their song “The Wrestle RockRumble”, which was a rip on the 1985 “The Super Bowl Shuffle”. The former would then be parodied beforeWrestlemania XXVIIwith the “Wrestlemania Rumble”.
WWE has also across the decades released various albums featuring wrestlers singing/talking/ rapping/existing. Wrestlers beyond WWE have also released music and albums, fromChris JerichotoR-Truthto more recentlyAEWWorld ChampionSwerve Strickland.
In terms of the UK charts, a wrestling theme did make it viral and to number 37 before.Fandango’s“ChaChaLaLa” was briefly so over thatEverton Football Clubwere strongarmed into playing it before one of their matches in 2013.
TheBBCdid not play it. Maybe because the song was lyric-less? Differently today, wrestling is more mainstream and more socially accepted. The songs have gone viral, it’s humorous and the young folksRadio 1tries to attract will potentially have heard the song somewhere.
With enough sales (just 4,000 Hendry suggests) and social media buzz, the BBC might be strongarmed also. The BBC will have to believe in Joe Hendry.
Clap, clap.
“I Believe In Joe Hendry,” is available for pre-order or pre-saving to your streaming platform of choicehere. The single will be released on Monday 29th April.
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Header image credit – TNA Wrestling. Stay tuned to theLast Word on Pro Wrestlingfor more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. TNA Wrestling Rebellion 2024 will air live onTNA Plus.
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