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During the massive Punjabi Prison match for the WWE Championship at Battleground 2017, Randy Orton thwarted both WWE Champion Jinder Mahal and his cronies, the Singh Brothers, and was about to become a 14th-time world champion when a monster walked to the ring and helped his fellow countryman win.
This was a giant familiar to those in the WWE Universe known as The Great Khali, a massive 7' 3" behemoth who had ruled the roost in WWE between 2006 and 2014!
Let's find out more about this man, who is a certified superstar in his home country of India. Here are 7 amazing facts about this monstrous individual.
#7 He once had a real backstage fight with the Big Show
Big Show appeared on 'Talk is Jericho' a few years ago and Jericho brought up an incident from the past when he was locked in a real life scuffle with The Great Khali. Jericho went so far as to describe it almost as a fight between 'Godzilla and King Kong'.
The Big Show said that their fight stemmed from the fact that he believed that Khali did not take what they did seriously. He attributed this primarily to the language barrier between the two men, with Khali not being very fluent in the English language.
As immobile as The Great Khali can be in the ring, in this situation, he was weaving and bobbing like a professional boxer would, according to The Big Show. It ended with both men falling down and The Great Khali sitting on top of The Big Show, thereby possibly making him the victor. The tale is discussed to this day among professional wrestlers who were lucky enough to be inside the WWE locker room on that fateful day.
#6 He was the runner-up on the Indian Big Brother version
Bigg Boss is a very popular Indian show, created on the lines of Big Brother, the internationally acclaimed, controversial, reality series. The Great Khali was a contestant on the fourth season of the show and went as far as the finale.
His popularity was such that even though he did not win the series, he was declared the runner-up even becoming House Captain twice during his time in the Bigg Boss house.
One astounding fact about Khali is that because none of the beds in the house would fit him, the creators of the show had a bed made specifically for him! We do not exaggerate when we talk about his popularity in his home country.
#5 Khali has trained a participant in the Mae Young Classic
Like Lita says in the video linked above, Kavita Devi is the first and only Indian woman to have entered a WWE ring. While her background in weight lifting was highlighted during her Mae Young Classic introduction, it was not revealed that she is a student of The Great Khali too!
Khali runs an academy in Jalandhar in India that he has described as the biggest of its kind in the world - Continental Wrestling Entertainment (CWE). With 200-250 students in the academy learning the art of professional wrestling, The Great Khali is constantly training talent from India to prepare for the big leagues and possibly even the WWE!
Two of his other students - Satendar Dagar and Lovepreet Sangha have signed deals with WWE as well.
#4 He was part of the world's tallest tag team
The world's tallest tag team unit did not hail from WWE but instead from New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The funny thing is The Great Khali's partner from the unit was an ex-WWE star. Some of you may remember Giant Silva from the Attitude Era as part of the 'Oddities' stable.
Together with The Great Khali (who was known as Giant Singh back then), they towered at 7 feet 2 1/2 inches tall, and well over a combined weight in excess of 800 pounds.
Their unit was known as Club 7 and preceded The Great Khali's immense surge of popularity in the United States of America. The above video is a classic match from that era, where both the giants teamed up with NJPW legend Masahiro Chono as Team 2000.
#3 Reason why Khali's wife wanted him to return home
The Great Khali has been happily married since 2002 to Harminder Kaur, a woman who has nothing to do with sports entertainment. After his run as a dominant giant, Khali was subsequently booked as The Punjabi Playboy and engaged in various lip locks with many women in the WWE locker room.
Aghast at this gimmick, his wife wanted him to quit WWE and return home, The Great Khali once revealed in an interview with The Economic Times.
The Great Khali says, in his defence, that whatever he has done... he has done it with all his heart. The same went for the Kiss Cam and Punjabi Playboy gimmick as well!
#2 Khali rode with a very strange looking crew
Khali has been very public about how lonely he was when he moved to The United States. However, he did have some great times on the road. Khali was joined by Hornswoggle, Shawn Daivari, and Mark Henry on the road. Imagine the sight of the crew he rode with!
They would have a blast on the road, as Khali pretended that Hornswoggle was his son, and so was Mark Henry. This crew rode together for a good six months.
Everyone in the wrestling business has good things to say about The Great Khali and refer to him as a real laid back guy!
#1 Khali abhors beef, alcohol, and cigarettes
Despite being on the road with 'the boys', The Great Khali never picked up any of the habits that come with being a sports entertainer. A devout, religious man hailing from a small town in Himachal Pradesh in India, he has shunned tobacco and alcohol and finds his peace in meditation and spirituality instead.
Hornswoggle tells the story of him accidentally being served a hamburger and refusing to eat it, as only Khali can. Khali holds the love for his home country and its values very close to his heart and is never willing to compromise.
Hope you were entertained by this countdown, dear reader. We leave you with an enduring visual of The Great Khali wishing John Cena a very happy birthday.
