A new WWE NXT Champion has been crowned.
Joe Hendry captured the vacant WWE NXT Championship on Tuesday night by winning a chaotic Ladder Match, outlasting six other competitors to claim his first title in the brand. The decisive moment came when Ricky Saints shoved Keanu Carver from a ladder, sending him crashing through another ladder below. Saints celebrated prematurely and began climbing, only to be confronted by Hendry. Both men fought over the title at the top until Hendry struck Saints with the championship belt, knocking him through a ladder before unhooking the gold to secure the victory.
The NXT Championship had been vacated after Oba Femi was called up to the main roster. Femi left the title in the ring following a successful defence against Leon Slater at New Year’s Evil last month. Shortly afterwards, then-General Manager Ava announced a Ladder Match to determine a new champion.
Hendry’s path into the match was not straightforward. He had originally been scheduled to face Jackson Drake in a qualifying bout the previous week, but the show opened with Hendry found laid out backstage. Ava later confronted members of the Vanity Project and threatened to fire them, believing they were responsible. Drake argued there was no proof, and Ava reluctantly allowed him into the Ladder Match, while also promising Hendry a spot if he was medically cleared.
Cleared to compete, Hendry seized the opportunity and climbed his way to the top of NXT, beginning his first reign as NXT Champion.
When Did Joe Hendry Debut In WWE NXT?
Joe Hendry made his WWE NXT debut on the June 18, 2024, episode while still a member of the TNA Wrestling roster. On the June 18 episode, Hendry competed in a 25-man Battle Royal to crown the number one contender for the NXT Championship. However, Hendry was eliminated immediately upon making his entrance into the match by fellow TNA star Frankie Kazarian.
Hendry signed a contract with WWE on November 13, 2025.
