Just a week removed from his NXT Championship win, Joe Hendry faced and conquered his first challenger, Jackson Drake, on “WWE NXT.” Unfortunately for Hendry, the celebration didn’t last too long.
Kicking off this week’s edition of “NXT,” Hendry promised to take the brand to new heights in his reign as NXT Champion. He also looked back on last week’s grueling ladder match, where Ricky Saints almost claimed the then-vacant title until the fans’ chants fueled him to take Saints out just in time. Cue the arrival of Vanity Project’s Ricky Smokes, Brad Baylor, and Jackson Drake, who then mocked Hendry for his comedic viral moments and “mid” appeal as champion.
According to Drake, Vanity Project were also responsible for the recent attack on Hendry after they felt disrespected by him. To return the favor, Hendry declared that he’d defend his NXT Championship against Drake, the current EVOLVE Champion, and knock him down in the process.
Hendry’s quest proved to be successful when he laid out Drake with a powerbomb and a chokeslam to retain the NXT Championship. Amidst his post-match celebration, however, a hooded figure ambushed Hendry with a series of punches. The figure ultimately revealed themselves as Ricky Saints, who went on to drop Hendry with a tornado DDT before posing with the respective title.
Saints himself is a former NXT Champion, having unseated Oba Femi in a title match at “NXT” No Mercy. He later dropped the championship back to Femi in December. As of this writing, it’s unclear if Saints will have a chance to regain the title by taking on Hendry.
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