Top TNA star Joe Hendry spoke with Fightful on a number of topics including how his background in Judo helped him take bumps in pro wrestling.
Hendry said, “The thing about Judo that people don’t realize is the speed that you’re hitting the mat is insane. If you’re being thrown, you’re being thrown at a huge velocity. It’s not a flat back bump either, it’s a side bump. I look back and I’m like, ‘I took hundreds, thousands of bumps before I ever got into wrestling.’ I did Judo from six to 13. Wasn’t any good, got beat up constantly. Went back when I was 17, I guess I filled out a little later, my frame changed, I went back to Judo when I was 21 and I pretty much beat most of the guys that had stayed from when I was 13. They stayed for six years, and I went back and beat them that had been doing it semi-professional or professionally. ‘Maybe I have something here.’ I needed the strength to execute the moves. I got my black belt in Judo, left it there at 21-22, finished University, started pro wrestling. I knew how to bump right away because it was part of Judo. There were a lot of benefits that I already had. Then, when I started amateur wrestling at 26, on my first day, I beat the Heavyweight representative for Scotland for the Common Wealth Games. ‘This is probably worth sticking with.’ I think that’s a lesson in having to do what you’re passionate about, but if you have a talent, I seem to have a talent for legitimate grappling. If you have a talent like that and you’re getting results when you shouldn’t be getting results. There were people I had no business beating, that I beat. I won three UK national titles, not the same as the US, but national titles. English Championship and British Championship in Greco and Freestyle. If you have an aptitude or a talent, it’s worth checking out. For a long time, I wanted to have one fight in the UFC, but I think I’m probably too old for that now.”
You can check out Hendry’s comments in the video below.
(H/T to Fightful for transcribing the above quotes)
