Hall Of Famer Admits He Lied To Help Bryan Danielson Get Signed By WWE

By
Phil Johnson
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Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson | AEW

WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry has revealed that he played a key role in helping Bryan Danielson—then known on the independents—get signed by WWE, and he didn’t do it entirely honestly.

While appearing on The Undertaker’s Six Feet Under podcast, Henry reflected on how he first advocated for Danielson, explaining that he was so impressed by his in-ring ability that he exaggerated key details to get WWE to take a closer look.

“I didn’t train Bryan Danielson, I just saw Bryan on TV and said, ‘Hey y’all need to get this dude,’” Henry said. “Because I saw a match he had and I was like, ‘This dude is as good as people we’ve got in WWE.’ And I lied, I told them he was like six feet tall because they wanted bigger guys, like 200 lbs, and Bryan’s 5′11″ maybe.”

Henry emphasized the long-term payoff of the decision, pointing to Danielson’s historic career. “To have somebody that’s a Hall of Fame-calibre wrestler that you can hang your hat on is pretty damn cool,” Henry added.

This isn’t the first time Henry has shared the story. Back in 2021, he offered a slightly different version of events while speaking to BT Sport’s The Run-In, doubling down on how far he went to sell Danielson to WWE decision-makers.

“I had to lie to everybody’s face to get Daniel Bryan looked at,” Henry said at the time. “They wanted guys who were big and huge. And I said, ‘This guy is like 6’1”, 200 lbs. He can get it done.’ Then he got there and they were like, ‘That guy’s not 6’1”!’ And I said that he must’ve had lifts in his shoes.”

Danielson would go on to defy WWE’s traditional size preferences, becoming a multiple-time world champion and one of the most respected wrestlers of his generation—proving that Henry’s “white lie” ultimately paid off.

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