Mark Henry Explains How He Got NBA Superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo To Attend An AEW Show

2021 feels like a decade ago at this point, so it's kind of easy to forget that it was a big year for NBA superstar Giannis Atnetokounmpo. The "Greek Freak" not only helped the Milwaukee Bucks win an NBA Championship, but he celebrated that title victory with an appearance on "AEW Rampage" later that year when AEW came to Milwaukee for the first time. This particular taping also included CM Punk's first "AEW Dynamite" appearance. Now, years after the fact, AEW's Mark Henry is revealing that he was the man who got Giannis into the audience for that "Rampage" episode. In an interview with NBC WTMJ-TV Milwaukee promoting "Dynamite's" return to the city tonight, Henry detailed how he put it all together.

"I've always loved people that loved our business," Henry says. "I saw him wrestling in the locker room, wrestling in the hallway. So I reached out to the Bucks organization and I said 'Listen. We know that a bunch of y'all guys are wrestling fans. If they're around town, we want to extend the courtesy for them to come.' And Giannis was like 'Hell yeah, let's do it.'"

While Giannis' appearance on "Rampage" wasn't a long one, it was memorable, with AEW owner Tony Khan presenting him with a replica AEW World Championship prior to the 2-time NBA MVP hitting ringside. Giannis proceeded to then enthusiastically watch the Lucha Brothers defeat Jurassic Express in the opening match, before heading backstage to take photos with several major AEW stars.