# Joe Hendry Recalls Near-Match With UFC Champion Robert Whittaker WWE star Joe Hendry reflects on his missed Commonwealth Games encounter with Robert Whittaker. - **Source:** [Newstalk ZB](https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz) - **Published:** 2026-11-12 - **Topic:** [entertainment](https://brifing.si/c/entertainment) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/fffbdb76-6642-472e-99d5-79adfc6caeb1 ## Missed Sporting Encounter WWE personality Joe Hendry recently revealed he was scheduled to face former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. The pair were set to compete in the men’s freestyle 97kg division, but the match never occurred due to Whittaker withdrawing three weeks before the event began. ## UFC Title Protection Robert Whittaker, a New Zealand-born fighter, withdrew from the Commonwealth Games to protect his UFC middleweight championship status. He was reportedly warned that sustaining an injury during the wrestling competition would force him to vacate his prestigious title, leading him to prioritize his professional mixed martial arts career over amateur wrestling. ## Hendry's Amateur Credentials Before finding fame in the WWE, Joe Hendry pursued amateur wrestling to validate his athletic legitimacy. He qualified for the Commonwealth Games after winning the 2017 British Senior National Championship. Despite losing in the Round of 16 to Nicolaas Verreynne, Hendry remains proud of his freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling championship achievements. ## Financial and Personal Sacrifice Representing Scotland at the Commonwealth Games required significant personal sacrifice from Hendry, who had to pause his professional wrestling career. He described this period as extremely difficult, noting that he had to stop working to fulfill his national obligations while struggling to make ends meet during his intense training phase. ## WWE Auckland Return Joe Hendry is preparing for WWE's return to Auckland, New Zealand, scheduled for December 17 at Spark Arena. This event marks the company's first visit to the city in a decade, following a 2017 show in Christchurch and a planned 2020 Auckland event that was ultimately cancelled due to strict Covid-19 travel restrictions. ## Global Wrestling Journey Hendry estimates that New Zealand will be at least the 20th country where he has performed as a professional wrestler. His recent global tour included stops in Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, and Argentina. He emphasizes that the opportunity to travel and experience diverse cultures is the most rewarding aspect of his career. ## Character and Fan Engagement Hendry’s popularity is fueled by his self-written entrance song and a unique character gimmick where he appears unexpectedly when his name is spoken. He shared a humorous anecdote about filming a segment inside an airtight fridge, noting the limited oxygen levels made the creative process both challenging and memorable for him. ## Gratitude Toward Supporters Hendry credits his rise to the biggest stages in professional wrestling, including the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, directly to his dedicated fanbase. He acknowledges that the massive reactions he received against Randy Orton were driven by fan support, which he describes as more than he could have ever asked for professionally. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/sport/wwe-joe-hendry-shares-how-he-nearly-fought-ufc-championship-robert-whittaker-at-commonwealth-games/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._