Joe Hendry already has a major target in mind after officially joining WWE RAW full-time — and it’s none other than CM Punk.
While appearing at Insight with Chris Van Vliet Live in Tampa, Hendry was asked which WWE stars he most wants to face now that he’s part of the RAW roster. He first brought up Logan Paul before quickly pivoting to the name that got the biggest reaction from the crowd.
“I’m going to add one more, actually, to that. I have had the opportunity to train with him in the ring at Ace Steel’s, but I’ve never wrestled him. I really want to wrestle CM Punk, so I think that’s what I want to wrestle.”
Hendry previously trained with Punk and Ace Steel at The Foundation wrestling school in May 2025 ahead of his TNA World Championship defense against Trick Williams at WWE Battleground. Steel, who has close ties to Punk dating back to their ROH days, currently works as a producer for TNA and has also appeared alongside Hendry on television. The live crowd immediately reacted to Hendry calling out Punk, something Hendry himself acknowledged during the appearance.
“You guys want to see Joe Hendry versus CM Punk.”
Hendry also made it clear he already knows what championship he wants next in WWE. After previously holding both the TNA World Championship and the NXT Championship, Hendry admitted the Intercontinental Championship is now at the top of his list.
“That said, Intercontinental Championship, please.”
Hendry officially signed with WWE full-time in November 2025 and won the NXT Championship in a seven-man ladder match on February 3, 2026 before moving to RAW in April. Meanwhile, Punk has been absent from WWE television since the April 20 episode of RAW following his WrestleMania 42 loss to Roman Reigns, and there’s still no official word on when he’ll return.
If CM Punk comes back soon, should WWE pull the trigger on a match with Joe Hendry right away, or save it for a bigger stage later on? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.