WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry has revealed that he had to lie about Bryan Danielson’s height to get him signed by the company. Before becoming one of the most popular stars in WWE history as Daniel Bryan, Danielson faced an uphill battle due to his size, which did not fit the traditional mold of a WWE superstar.
Speaking on The Undertaker’s Six Feet Under podcast, Henry recalled spotting Danielson on television and immediately recognizing his talent. Despite not training him personally, Henry felt compelled to advocate for the future World Champion.
“I didn’t train Bryan Danielson, I just saw Bryan on TV and said, ‘Hey, y’all need to get this dude,'” Henry noted. “Because I saw a match he had and I was like ‘this dude is as good as people we’ve got in WWE’.”
Knowing that WWE officials preferred larger competitors, Henry decided to embellish Danielson’s physical stats to ensure he got a look.
“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 said. “To have somebody that’s a Hall of Fame-calibre wrestler that you can hang your hat on is pretty damn cool.”
Danielson’s tenure in WWE was highly successful, including multiple world title reigns and a main event victory at WrestleMania XXX. He departed the company in 2021 to join AEW. Danielson is currently working as a commentator for AEW after stepping away from full-time competition.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Six Feet Under with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can watch the full interview by clicking here.
