The 10 most essential Joe Hendry songs, now that he's an NXT crossover sensation

After making a surprise appearance on NXT — the WWE proving ground that produced stars like Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt — Joe Hendry is a bonafide phenomenon. To this, I say: it’s about damn time.

The wrestling world is quickly realizing what folks overseas have known for some time. Hendry is a perfectly cromulent wrestler on the mat, but catch him outside the ring and his charisma shines. His gift for musical taunts and ever-present goofy smile have carved him a niche in the business and a place in the hearts and minds of fans. Say his name and he appears; I believe in Joe Hendry.

I was lucky enough to catch him in Dundee, Scotland in 2015. I’d gone to watch Insane Championship Wrestling, the sovereign nation’s top local promotion, in hopes of seeing the majesty of Grado up close. But that night’s card was packed with show stealers, from Nikki Cross to Kenny Williams to Polo Promotions and the Wee Man.

In the middle, feuding with Wolfgang, was a charming, husky Scot dubbed the “Local Hero.” Hendry stole Wolfgang’s motorcycle and replaced it with a child’s bike, which was funny enough. But in the dead spots between matches, ICW played a handful of videos, including Hendry’s pre-match takedown of Timm Wylie.

With that, I was hooked. Well, maybe not hooked, but I was a Hendry fan. I subscribed to ICW On Demand to follow the promotion’s bigger events and periodically checked YouTube for new Hendry songs (often while drinking, as most wrestling-related YouTube searches go). But, sadly, it appeared Hendry’s star was leashed to smaller promotions.

Fortunately, TNA’s revival allowed him a place to thrive in North America once more. This run, hampered by copyright laws that made getting his parodies on the air difficult, gave us a handful of original Hendry songs — like the one backing his viral entrances.

This means America remains at risk on missing out on his best stuff. The thing is, pretty much every Hendry song is good. But if you’re new to the Local Hero, these are his best.