#2 He is irreplaceable
Standing at 7 feet 3 inches tall and weighing over 400 pounds, The Great Khali is one of the largest athletes to have ever graced the spectacle of professional wrestling. Not only does Khali tower over all of the current WWE Superstars, but the characters that he represented are also irreplaceable.
Ever since Khali left, the WWE have been struggling to replace him with other giants and physically impressive Superstars. Their efforts, while appreciated, have largely been in vain.
WWE have tried booking wrestlers such as Vladimir Kozlov, Rusev, Ryback, Ezekiel Jackson, Braun Strowman etc. in the monster heel role, they’ve also made attempts to book people like Big Cass in the “friendly giant” role, but neither of these wrestlers have managed to fill in the giant shoes left behind by the big man, not by a long shot.
Khali, despite his shortcomings in the squared circle, was an incredibly intimidating monster heel, the stuff of nightmares for many. He struck fear in the hearts of his opponents and dominated them in competition, making quick work of most of them.
Seeing a loveable babyface defeat the Goliath-like heel Khali inside the squared circle truly felt like a momentous occasion, something that a victory over someone like Rusev just doesn’t quite manage to replicate.
Here’s a video of the end of John Cena’s infamous match against The Great Khali at One Night Stand 2007, where Cena came out with the win. The impact of the victory can be felt to this day and this was the win that laid the foundations of the “Super Cena” character that John Cena later came to be known for:
Khali’s “gentle giant” face version is also unmatched in terms of execution, ever since he left. The face turn brought out his inner personality which was that of a jovial, fun-loving, gentle human being who loved to spread joy and cheer.
Big Cass and the like who have tried to fill that void just don’t compare.
