In a move that could’ve been huge, tremendous, and—dare we say—historic, the collaboration between WWE and TNA almost gave us the spectacle of TNA World Champion Joe Hendry going toe-to-toe with WWE’s finest on Monday Night Raw. But like most big dreams in wrestling and certain presidential campaigns, this one was crushed by… creative differences.
According to Fightful Select (a newsletter that is very real and very tremendous—some say the best, even), there was a bold plan on the table. It would’ve featured Joe Hendry taking a loss to The Miz—a man who’s held more titles than a kid on scholarship. But it also would’ve launched a storyline. Momentum. Spotlight. A feud that could’ve made sparks fly like a poorly wired pyro rig.
Enter Ariel Shnerer, former TNA Executive Producer and now full-time Twitter user. Shnerer apparently looked at the plan and said, “Nah.” Sources say he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of Hendry losing—because apparently “booking logic” is a hill worth dying on. So instead of putting Hendry in the ring with The Miz, WWE quietly pivoted. They sent Ethan Page to TNA and handed him the same creative notes: “Do the thing we were gonna do with Hendry. But Canadian.”
Now, the fallout: WWE reportedly soured on Shnerer. As in, milk-in-the-summer-sun sour. Shortly after, TNA cut him loose—alongside Knockouts Division legend Gail Kim, which seems like cutting the power cord to your own GPS while driving through a thunderstorm.
Replacing Shnerer? None other than Hunter “Delirious” Johnson, former Ring of Honor head booker. So now TNA’s creative is in the hands of a man literally named after being disoriented and confused. Perfectly normal. Nothing to worry about!