Rusev Attacks Joe Hendry on RAW, References 2014 Lawyer Appearance

Rusev and Joe Hendry have a new chapter in their shared history, and Rusev made sure to remind everyone of exactly how that history began.

Following an attack on Hendry on WWE Monday Night Raw on Monday, July 6, Rusev invoked a callback stretching more than a decade into the past. In 2014, after capturing the United States Championship, Rusev held a celebration on Raw that featured Hendry — at the time working in an extra capacity as a lawyer for Rusev. It’s a piece of trivia that most fans had likely filed away, but Rusev hadn’t forgotten.

In the wake of the attack, Rusev delivered a pointed message directed at Hendry: “Welcome to my Accolade, Joe Hendry — you should have stayed a lawyer.”

The line does double duty. It ties the moment back to that 2014 connection while simultaneously signaling that Rusev views himself as firmly in control of whatever rivalry is now developing between the two. The Accolade, Rusev’s signature submission hold, is as much a statement of dominance as it is a finishing maneuver, and the taunt makes clear he’s not taking Hendry lightly — or at least wants Hendry to know he’s been watching.

Hendry has been one of the more prominent rising names in WWE in recent memory, so a feud with a veteran presence like Rusev carries real weight. How Hendry responds to the attack — and to the jab about his legal past — should become clear in the weeks ahead on Raw.