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What's the story?
Well, it's not unusual to see amateur wrestlers make the transition into professional wrestling, but Joe Hendry of Insane Championship Wrestling is doing both in a very big way!
The current 5-Star Wrestling commentator has qualified for the Commonwealth Games and will be wrestling as part of Team Scotland.
In case you didn't know...
Joe Hendry is probably best known for his time in ICW and WCPW, having faced Kurt Angle in the latter and even defeated Alberto El Patron, AKA Alberto Del Rio.
In fact, eagle-eyed WWE viewers may even recognise The Prestigious One as one of Adam Rose's Rosebuds or even from a segment with Rusev.
Insane Championship Wrestling fans, however, will know of Joe Hendry for his parody entrances, which have made the Edinburgh-born wrestler a viral sensation.
The heart of the matter
While Joe Hendry has proven to be nothing short of a comedy genius, there's no doubting The Prestigious One's legitimacy -- having previously been crowned the 97kg British champion when it comes to amateur wrestling.
Well, ICW took to Twitter today to congratulate that the Local Hero will now be a National Hero as he joins Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games.
Speaking of his amateur background, Joe Hendry told The Scottish Sun.
Make no mistake about it, we are proving that professional wrestlers are elite athletes. End of story.
“I’m doing this for the people I love, my fans and the hard working professional wrestlers who put their bodies on the line up and down the country for your entertainment. Let’s do this!”
Reactions
Well, WWE's Killian Dain, formerly known as Big Damo in ICW, took to Twitter to congratulate Hendry.
Pro Wrestling Elite, where The Presitious One is currently Heavyweight Champion, were also quick off the mark at congratulating the Local, turned National, Hero.
Mark Dallas, owner of ICW, however, took to Twitter to explain Joe's amateur background. If this is true, what an incredible story!
Author's take
Well, as a Scotsman and a massive ICW fan, this is incredible news! Even in pro wrestling, Hendry's amateur background is very obvious with his wonderful takedowns and ground grappling.
What more, it's incredible to see a professional wrestler out there proving just how tough and skilled pro wrestlers can be - and the legitimacy of the sport.
We wish Joe Hendry all the best at the Commonwealth Games!
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