Khali is a 7-foot-1 tall and 347-pound skyscraper of a man who towered over all of the WWE Universe. Khali stood out from every crowd not only for his overwhelming size, but also for being the first to blaze a trail to WWE from his native India. Being one of the seven siblings of a poor family, he had to do odd jobs to make ends meet. Known for his great height, The Great Khali was described as the eighth tallest professional wrestler in history in 2014 and the fourth tallest wrestler in WWE history in 2017.
The Great Khali debuted in WWE alongside Daivari and had alliances with Ranjin Singh and Jinder Mahal, but spent most of his career as a singles wrestler. His biggest achievement in professional wrestling career came in 2007 when he became WWE’s World Heavyweight Champion.
Khali’s battle-ready mentality and intimidating presence combined to make him a unique threat to every member of the WWE roster. He successfully stood tall against celebrated WWE Superstars, including The Undertaker, Kane, Big Show, John Cena and Shawn Michaels. And he was the last man standing in a 20-Man Battle Royal on SmackDown in 2007 that allowed Khali to realize his dream of becoming World Heavyweight Champion.
Success in the WWE ring led to notoriety away from it for Khali, whose sizable achievements made him a national hero in India. Khali eventually retired in November 2014 to return to India and train aspiring WWE Superstars, but he returned at WWE Battleground 2017, helping WWE Champion and fellow countryman Jinder Mahal escape the match Khali himself pioneered the Punjabi Prison.
Here are some interesting facts about former WWE Heavy Weight Champion Great Khali
- Very Few people know that The Great Khali was also awarded the Mr.India title way back in 1995 and 1996 for two consecutive years.
- The seven-foot one-inch giant was famous even before entering WWE due to his appearance in a feature film “The Longest Yard”, 2005. The film enjoyed considerable success and Khali played his part well.
- Khali is a Hindu and has been described as an extremely religious person by his peers. He indulges in meditates and yoga regularly.
- He was a disciple of Indian spiritual guru Ashutosh Maharaj.
- He frequently has appeared on screens of all sizes from Bollywood to Hollywood, which includes prominent acting roles in the feature films “Get Smart” (2008), and “MacGruber” (2010), in addition to guest star appearances on the NBC series “Outsourced” and the Disney Channel series, “Pair of Kings.”
- The Great Khali has wrestled throughout the world, including Japan, where he is regarded as a popular wrestling icon.
- Khali has acromegaly, a disease closely associated with gigantism that causes facial deformities, as evidenced by his large brow, nose, chin, and ears.
- The Great Khali was a contestant on the fourth season of the famous Bigg boss show hosted by superstar, Salman Khan 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 amusing 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!
- In February 2015, Khali opened his own wrestling school in Punjab, Continental Wrestling Entertainment, which held its first event on 12 December 2015. Khali runs the academy in Jalandhar in India and has it 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. Kavita Devi, who is the first and only Indian woman to have entered a WWE ring has background in weight lifting which was highlighted during her Mae Young Classic introduction, but it was not known to many that she is a student of The Great Khali’s school.
- Khali’s training schedule consists of two hours of weight training, morning and evening, every day, but his diet is unclear, as in some interviews it was claimed he maintains his size on a vegetarian diet and in other interviews it was claimed he consumes vast quantities of chicken. However, he has clarified that he loves vegetarian food, but also consumes meat.
- On 26 July 2012 it was reported that Rana underwent a brain surgery due to a tumor on his pituitary gland.
- Khali became a naturalized U.S. citizen on 20 February 2014 and currently resides in Houston, Texas, USA.
- The Punjabi Prison match itself originated during a feud between The Great Khali and The Undertaker. At The Great American Bash in 2006, The Great Khali challenged The Undertaker to the brand new Punjabi Prison match type. This made sense, as The Great Khali is from India himself. However, at Great American Bash, Khali was not cleared to compete due to a legitimate liver issue. The Punjabi Prison match was still held, but instead, it was between Big Show and The Undertaker. Khali finally got to have his Punjabi Prison match at No Mercy 2007, when he faced Batista.
- Khali grew up in the village of Dhiraina in Himachal Pradesh, and due to his abnormal height, he received the attention of the Punjab Police and he ultimately decided to become an officer. While he was serving in the Punjab Police, Khali began bodybuilding, and when he started to watch World Wrestling Federation programming in the late 1990s, he was attracted to it and wanted to pursue a career in professional wrestling.
- On 2 January 2006, Dalip Singh Rana ( Khali) became the first Indian professional wrestler to be signed to a contract by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE); he was assigned to their developmental federation, Deep South Wrestling, where he wrestled under his real name.
- 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. This irked his wife and she asked him to leave the company.
When Rana was serving as a security guard in Shimla, he caught the eye of a police officer from the neighbouring State of Punjab that—having previously helped several employees of Punjab Police to become international sportspersons—got him induced in the Punjab Police in 1993 and (though Rana was reluctant to leave Himachal Pradesh, his brother was also offered a job in the Punjab Police) once he landed in Punjab’s Jalandhar, Rana trained in the local gyms to become a wrestler and soon he got selected for specialized wrestling training in the United States.
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