Mark Henry says he lied to WWE about an AEW star's height and got cussed out for it

WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry recently revealed that he lied to the Stamford-based promotion before a top AEW star's tryout in the company. The star in question is none other than Bryan Danielson.

The American Dragon is one of the best wrestlers in professional wrestling. The veteran signed a developmental deal with WWE in 2000. However, the current AEW star was released in July 2001. He re-signed with the company in August 2009 and had a Hall of Fame-worthy career in the Stamford-based promotion. The erstwhile Daniel Bryan is a five-time WWE World Champion. Bryan Danielson is set to retire from full-time competition later this year.

Speaking in an interview with Denise Salcedo, Mark Henry recalled lying to the WWE about Bryan Danielson before the latter's tryout. He further revealed that the company changed its mind after seeing the work of The American Dragon.

"I said, 'Well, you're [Bryan Danielson] on my radar! I'm gonna get you a tryout, and I called, and they were like, 'Man, how big is he?' And I lied. I said he's probably 6 feet tall and two hundred pounds, and John Laurinaitis cussed me out when he got to Tampa, to the school for his tryout. I told him, 'Hey, all you gotta do is watch him work though, and they watched him work, and they were like, 'Holy sh*t, dude is good!''' Henry recalled.

The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion added:

''And I ain't catching no more heat. I had to lie to get him into the door; he was good enough already. I never had to teach him. I never taught Bryan Danielson. I opened the door and moved out of the way." [46:40 - 47:40]

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Dutch Mantell on why Bryan Danielson is refusing to become the AEW World Champion

Bryan Danielson arrived at AEW in 2021 and established himself as one of the premier stars of the promotion. However, The American Dragon has been reluctant to become the AEW World Champion.

Speaking on Storytime with Dutch Mantell podcast, the former WWE manager claimed Bryan does not want to be the AEW World Champion due to the pressure that comes with it.

"I don't think he [Bryan Danielson] wants to do it; I think he could do it, but he doesn't want that pressure on him; I don't blame him. So he's saying that he's turning it down and letting somebody else do it. 'I've had my time,' which I appreciate; 'I've had my time,' and he's still got a job at AEW anyway. So, it's not like he's turning it down; he doesn't have anything, but it is a strange thing to hear from somebody like Daniel Bryan,'' he said. [0:32-1:02]

Bryan Danielson is in the finals of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. He will lock horns with ''Hangman'' Adam Page on this week's Dynamite. It will be interesting to see if the former WWE Superstar secures a shot at the World Title at All In 2024.