Does Nic Nemeth believe in Joe Hendry – the man who will challenge him on Sunday night for the TNA World Championship at the company’s Genesis pay-per-view event?
The answer may surprise you.
“Yes,” he answered definitively during an exclusive interview with SlamWrestling.net. “And I’m rooting for him – until the bell rings.”
“Because, in a match, I don’t let myself do anything less than 10 out of 10. I don’t stop from trying to out-class someone just because I’m rooting for them. When the bell rings,” he explained, “he becomes an enemy that’s trying to take the World title from me. And I know that will happen at some point. But I don’t see it happening on Sunday.”
While that dynamic has played out on-screen over the past few weeks in the build-up to the match, Nemeth’s backstage view of Hendry comes with even more respect.
“Over the last couple of months, he’s grown even more complete, become more of the total package,” Nemeth praised. “I won’t get into detail the conversations we’ve had. But they’re similar to the things I’ve said on TV. Because he’s someone that I would like to have with TNA for the next several years.”
“He did a tricky part – to go viral and organically get people behind you. That’s really hard to get, no matter what you do and who you are. It’s hard to explain to somebody who’s not (in the business). But he went from being an attraction that we cheer for, to (someone who makes people think) ‘Hey, maybe this guy could be world champion, and possibly a really dominant one in the future.’ That’s huge growth. And I know some people might take it the wrong way, but to say he was an attraction and now he’s someone who’s a believable world champion, that’s a huge difference in our business.”
Nemeth noted that it’s even more important, given the positive trajectory the company has been on in the past year (he started last year, and Genesis will take place just a week after his first anniversary with the company).
“In the old WCW days and in (past) WWE days, there were times when (being the World champion) didn’t mean as much. Man, there were old WWE times where The Rock and Triple H fighting over the Intercontinental Championship was a bigger deal than whoever was in the main event picture. So it really depends.”
“But,” he pointed out, “it’s also the business (saying), ‘This is who we are showcasing as our leader, this is the man or woman or anything else whose back we can put the company on, and we know that it’ll be successful.'”
“Being champion when it means so much to a company like ours, that is clicking on all cylinders – you have the Hardys who came back in, you have Tessa (Blanchard)‘s big return, you have Jordynne (Grace) and Masha (Slamovich), you have Moose running the X-Division. It’s such a great time for TNA, and this card on Sunday is so must-see. TNA is really killing it on all levels. If you’re the champion, the responsibility is on your back to put the butts in seats.”
The announcement earlier this week about TNA’s new talent exchange arrangement with WWE’s NXT brand has the potential to not only put butts in seats, but also eyeballs on the product to a new audience. Nemeth is optimistic about what the deal could mean for TNA, and particularly excited for fans of both companies.
“It’s exciting,” he said, “because TNA is doing such great things right now. And then having a partner like WWE that’s so successful and is a dominant successful brand, that’s huge. And it’s good for talking with other businesses, potential sponsors, all those things. It’s really cool behind the scenes – two teams helping each other out.”
“But in front of the camera, the possibilities are endless. The cool thing for fans is that it now opens the door. We’ve seen Jordynne in the Royal Rumble before. But now maybe Joe Hendry will be there, maybe Moose will show up. Maybe Nic Nemeth will be there. And on Genesis or Impact, who knows who’s going to show up on Thursday?”
Who might show up is a particularly intriguing question as it relates to Nemeth’s match against Hendry on Sunday, as both Nemeth’s brother Ryan and WWE Hall of Famer John “JBL” Layfield have been involved in their ongoing storyline. Their involvement has also helped blur the traditional good guy versus bad guy dynamic, since both Nemeth and Hendry are fan favorites, while Ryan and JBL have been exhibiting more villainous actions.
“You’ve got to mix things up,” Nemeth said about the numerous layers in the build. “Good versus evil is an easy way to go, and it’s great. But it’s not the 1990s. In 2025, there is room for shades of gray. In real life, some people make the right choices, but they may make the wrong choice the next day – or be in a complex area to where you’re not sure if you’re a good person today. That’s real life.”
“The last time I fought Joe Hendry for the world title, it was another time when I said, ‘Hey, we’re both good guys. I don’t hate you. But when the bell rings, I’m going to punch you as hard as I can, I’m going to try to choke you out. And in that match, 90% of the crowd cheered for Joe, and maybe 10% for me.”
“For me,” he said, “it doesn’t matter what the reaction is from the crowd – as long as there is a reaction for (the wrestlers) to feed off of. If I’m not doing my job, and there’s no sound when I come out, then I don’t deserve to be on the show, much less be the world champion.”
“I’ve been on the other end,” he remembered, “where I was the bad guy – young up-and-coming guy, fighting in the main event of a pay-per-view, with 99% of a sold-out crowd chanting my name – the bad guy. So I know exactly how it goes – we just have to feed off of it. But the day nobody’s making any nose? Then it’s time for me to move on.”
But he doesn’t see that coming any time soon. Indeed, Nemeth is supremely confident in his ability to not only compete at the highest levels, but also to be the best overall professional wrestler in the world.
“I don’t know anyone who does the sport of professional wrestling better than I do,” he assessed, “and if they do, I haven’t seen them yet. Now, there’s a bunch of people I think are really good. Some people I think are better wrestlers than me. Some people are better behind the scenes, pushing for themselves over me. But I don’t know anyone who’s the total package like I am. I don’t think anyone else should be the champion right now. It’s eventually going to happen – but I think I can be champion until 2030.”
Meaning Nemeth is definitely looking to be champion after Genesis and when the company’s weekly Impact TV show runs live this Thursday night. It will be a rare live episode, as the company typically tapes their shows the night after a pay-per-view. Nemeth is very much looking forward to the night, noting that there is a lot of excitement in not knowing what can happen.
“I grew up in a bubble,” he noted, “because for 20 years, I only knew live TV. There are so many (differences from taped TV). You have to hit this mark, you have to get to this commercial, we go dead air at this point. I love those situations. When you are live, there can be mistakes. People can freeze, and then other people have to take over. People can show how good they are on the fly.
“There are so many positive points to going live. First and foremost, is the buzz in the back, in the locker room. And for us, that’s one more chance for TNA to be seen, to be talked about, and to take us to the next level.”
Which is to say, the A-plus level.
“Right now, if I had to give the company a letter grade, I’d say the last year was an ‘A’. There has been so many great things, and we’ve done so well. A lot of people have done so much – many doing so many different things. People like Tommy Dreamer, Ariel (Shnerer, Senior Vice President of Content & Distribution), and Gail Kim.”
“And the locker room… I’m telling you, everyone on Sunday from top to bottom is going to steal the show from every other match. And then I’ve got to go out there and try to do what I’ve never done before: steal the show from 20 others. And I’m looking forward to it.”
TNA Genesis airs Sunday on pay-per-view and TNA+
TNA Impact airs Thursdays on TNA+, AXS TV, and SportsNet 360
For tickets and information on Genesis in Dallas, Texas, and Impact (live show on Thursday and TV tapings on Friday) from San Antonio, visit tnawrestling.com/events
TOP PHOTO: TNA World Championship with Frankie Kazarian as special referee: Nic Nemeth (c) VS Joe Hendry at TNA Bound For Glory at the Wayne State University Fieldhouse in Detroit, Michigan, on Saturday, October 26, 2024. Photo by Brad McFarlin
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