TNA's AJ Francis Says This WWE Hall Of Famer Is Like A Second Dad To Him

When AJ Francis envisioned the concept of elders getting involved in his feud with Alex Kane in MLW, he knew just who to contact for ideas about names to include. What he didn't realize was that the very person to whom he reached out would end up being one of those names.

On "Busted Open Radio," Francis was asked how he was able to get Mark Henry to appear at Battle Riot VI for MLW, and before he explained how that went down, the former Top Dolla shed a little light into his relationship with the WWE Hall of Famer. 

"A lot of people don't know this, but Mark is like a second dad to me and I don't say that just cause he literally looks just like my dad," Francis said. "He has looked out for me, especially in this business, he gives me sound advice, he's always willing to lend a helping hand [and has] put me in connections with people so many different times."

Going back to the well on those connections led Francis to some invites for the event, and ultimately, Henry's appearance. According to Francis, Henry suggested Teddy Long, Ernest "The Cat" Miller, and Ron Simmons. While Simmons couldn't make it, Miller participated in the Battle Riot match, and Long appeared as an elder alongside Henry, who Francis called "one of the best to ever do it."

"I didn't know Mark was actually going to be one of the elders until I showed up," he said. "To have somebody like Mark come and just add that extra 'oomph' [to] make sure more people see it, it's amazing, man. I can't thank Mark enough and Teddy enough."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Busted Open Radio and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.