Mark Henry has always had an eye for talent and he quickly knew Daniel Bryan (wrestling as Bryan Danielson on the Independent scene), was something special in the ring. He also knew that WWE may not give him a shot if they knew his actual size.

"I had to lie to get Daniel Bryan [in WWE]. I saw Daniel Bryan at an Indie show in Canada and was like, 'Damn, he's good.' I could tell he was carrying the guy he was working with and made his ass look good."

https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/mark-henry-recalls-lying-about-daniel-bryan-s-size-get-wwe-look-him