Why Joe Hendry Missed Recent WWE Raw

Joe Hendry was nowhere to be seen on last week's episode of Monday Night Raw on August 17 and the reason for his absence has been revealed.

PWInsider has reported that Hendry is not injured, nor is he dealing with any creative issues within WWE. Instead, Hendry has been filming a role for a live-action microdrama as part of WWE's partnership with ReelShort.

It was announced in July that WWE had partnered with ReelShort to produce live-action microdramas for "mobile-first storytelling." The first series of microdramas will feature Drew McIntyre, Jacob Fatu, and Joe Hendry. The series is expected to premiere in the early autumn, according to a WWE press release in July.

Joe Hendry has been full-time with WWE since the company bought out his TNA contract in November 2025, although Hendry had already been featured on WWE TV since the summer of 2024 due to the WWE-TNA working relationship. The 38-year-old initially wrestled in WWE NXT, becoming a one-time NXT Champion, before he moved to the main roster following WrestleMania 42.

During the summer of 2026, Joe Hendry has been linked to Danhausen and Hendry helped Danhausen win a Human Monies on a Pole Match against Dominik Mysterio at SummerSlam. The Hendry/Danhausen segment from the July 27 episode of Raw that featured an "I believe that you are cursed" song was roundly criticised, and Hendry addressed the criticism during SummerSlam weekend.