Hendry continued by reflecting on those who he’s learned from both before and during his time with WWE, as he credited three respected individuals in the business who helped him make the transition from a comedic character to a main event star. 

“A lot of people don’t know that as well as Shawn and what he’s doing with NXT, Terry Taylor has his influence like all over modern wrestling. Like if you look at what like Oba [Femi] and Trick [Williams] and Je’Von [Evans] are doing, like they’ve learned so much from Terry and his principles … there’s been certain people who have really helped me get to the next level in my career and I met them at the right time. Like when I got to TNA, working with Ace Steel really helped me take things to the next level and go from like a a comedy guy to a main event guy there. And I feel like Terry and Shawn helped prepare me to be a main event guy in NXT.”

Hendry was hoping that if he dedicated himself to training at the Performance Center that it would eventually lead him to become NXT Champion, and when he did win the title in February, he stated that it was the most rewarding victories of his career because of how disciplined he became to achieve that goal. Now that he’s a full-time main roster star, Hendry claimed that he’s been impressed with the fast-paced nature of Triple H’s creative process so far.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Insight” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.