Did Ricky Saints’ 'Absolute Experience' Get in the Head of NXT Champion Joe Hendry?

On March 7, 2026, at Vengeance Day, Ricky Saints will be the next challenger to face Joe Hendry for the NXT Championship. However, the March 3 NXT saw some interesting pre-match festivities.

Saints came out with a guitar and started singing, calling his performance the “Absolute Experience” and clearly mocking Hendry. After complaining about the microphone and guitar, he had the latter swapped, but a hand couldn’t let it go. Saints stood up, revealing Hendry, smashing the guitar over his back.

After a back and forth of punches, the Vanity Project arrived to beat up Hendry, who isn’t a fan of his. NXT North American Champion Myles Borne helped him by clearing the ring of Saints and the Vanity Project. They raised their titles in the air as the show closed. It seemed the mockery didn’t rattle Hendry. But could it change his approach for Saturday’s match?

Hendry Embraces the Memes and the Mockery 

Everyone knows Hendry’s disposition and how he conducts himself. Most of the time, he’s the happy, fun-loving guy who loves to play guitar and sing. However, there are times when he needs to be serious. It may seem like he would get mad about Saints’ performance, but this time isn’t one of them. He knows how close Saints got to winning the NXT Championship last month. After all, he held it last year for a 70-day reign.

He’ll do anything to get it back, even mocking the current champion. The performance wasn’t an attack on how he likes to do business in NXT. It’s an attack that will hopefully get into his head so that he loses. He knows Saints are only doing this as a defense mechanism. It isn’t personal, so he won’t be taking any more offense as he heads into Saturday’s match. 

His Paranoia Could Cost Him the Championship 

Saints went into Tuesday night with one goal in mind. He wanted to anger Hendry so he could do something dumb. In this case, he smashed Saints’ guitar onto his back and ignited a brawl. The only person who came to his aid was Borne. Meanwhile, the Vanity Project came to Saints’ rescue.

They each have close associations with Saints and Hendry, and they’ll do anything to defend their friend. If they all somehow interfere on Saturday, it’ll be a three-on-one helper advantage for Saints.

Not only did he mock Hendry, but he also has three guys willing to defend him as opposed to one. Hendry definitely realized how dangerous Saints is in a brawl. Vanity Project interference could spell disaster for him. Reacting to Saints’ performance could be the key indication that he will lose his NXT championship at Vengeance Day.

How Will He Prepare for Saturday? 

Hendry will have a tough mountain to climb if he wants to retain his NXT Championship. He has two choices he will have to decide between. He can shake off Saints’ performance, chalk it up to it not being a personal attack, and plan accordingly in order not to risk a loss due to potential Vanity Project interference.