Road to redemption begins for Team Scotland Gold Coast wrestler

A Team Scotland wrestler whose Commonwealth Games ended in disappointment says he'll use the experience to push on to the next level as he returns to the ring.

Joe Hendry was called up to the national squad just weeks before the squad flew to Australia, but he'll return to his home promotion Insane Championship Wrestling this weekend to reignite a rivalry with Chris Renfrew.

Ahead of the match, the Edinburgh-born grappler spoke about how his Gold Coast journey has changed his outlook on his career - and how he's got his sights set on Birmingham 2022.

He said: “It’s difficult to sum it up. It was an amazing experience being away for a whole month, basically living in Australia, living with elite athletes and learning what it really takes to perform in the upper echelon of sports, so it was a shock for me in a good way.

“It gave me a bit of perspective on life overall and I’m really glad I did it. To represent your country is a special thing. One of my training partners, who’s a former medallist, told me I’d come back a different person and I certainly feel that’s the case.”

Joe – also known as ‘The Prestigious One’ – competed in freestyle amateur wrestling in the 97kg category Down Under, going out in the first round to home favourite Nicolaas Verreynne.

Despite his background in pro-wrestling, Joe only began competing in the Commonwealth sport following the Games in Glasgow in 2014.

Reflecting on his defeat on the Gold Coast, he said: “Obviously my initial thoughts after the match were disappointment. I expected to progress further in the competition but it was a very hard-fought match which didn’t go my way unfortunately.

“I’ve been in the sport three years; most of them have been doing this most of their lives. We knew these Commonwealth Games would be tough for me but really Birmingham 2022 is my medal target. It was amazing to go and do it, and really proud of the fact that I got to do that, but now the hard work begins again. Let’s spend the next four years figuring out how to get from British champion to Commonwealth champion.”

Joe’s focus now turns to Barramania this Sunday, where he’ll face Chris Renfrew

“When I was over there, the great thing about being away for a month was that it took me away from pro-wrestling and really made me miss it. That’s why I’m looking forward to Barramania so much this Sunday because it’ll be the first time the Scottish fans have seen me since I’ve been away at the Games. It’ll be good to experience the reaction from the fans there.

“I think professional wrestling is at its best when it’s ingrained in reality and that’s always what I’ve tried to do in my career. I think my entire career is a story of redemption because I’m never the guy who just goes and blasts through everything first time. I’m the guy who grinds away for years, practice after practice, match after match: I’m the person who gets to my goals eventually through the accumulation of hard work. I think people can relate to that.”

“I think that’s one of the things which is appealing about ICW and wrestling. We’re misfits, we weren’t the popular ones, but we’re this group of misfits who put on a show like no-one else can."

ICW's Barramania IV takes place at the Barrowlands in Glasgow on Sunday 29 April.