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The Great Khali is a retired Indian professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter who became famous after working in the World Wrestling Entertainment. Khali is also a former WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He has shared the ring with some of the biggest name in the world of professional wrestling. He also runs his own wrestling promotion. The name of the promotion is Continental Wrestling Entertainment.
The Great Khali Height, Weight, Age & More:
The Great Khali was one of the tallest wrestlers of WWE history. His billed height in WWE was 7’3″ and he weighed over 400 pounds. Even though his actual height is 7’1″ and he weighs 347 lbs. He was born on August 27th 1972, currently, the WWE Hall of Famer is 51 year old. He was the tallest WWE star during his time
The Great Khali Early Life
Khali was born on August 27th, 1972. Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh is the place where the Great Khali born. He comes from a very poor from family and he was one of the seven siblings. He had to do various jobs to take care of his family. He had acromegaly which caused gigantism and chin protrusion. He had a pretty difficult childhood due to poverty.
Who is The Great Khali
The Great Khali is a former WWE star and a retired professional wrestler. Khali is also a WWE Hall of Famer. He also owns a professional wrestling promotion named Continental Wrestling Entertainment. He was extremely popular in India during his time in WWE. He has also been a WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He became one of the most famous stars of the promotion in future.
The Great Khali WWE Debut
The Great Khali made his WWE debut on the first episode of Smackdown after WrestleMania 22. The Undertaker was having a match against Mark Henry on the main event of the show. A huge mystery man showed up who entered the ring and destroyed The Undertaker. Later this man was revealed to be the Great Khali. He did have some experience before joining WWE.
Professional Wrestling Career
Wrestling Debut
The Great Khali started his professional wrestling career back in 2000. In 2001 he went to Japan and worked in new Japan Pro Wrestling. He worked in the Japanese promotion for one year. He also worked in the All Japan Pro Wrestling and various other promotions including the like of Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL).
WWE Debut- Feud with The Undertaker
In 2006 he got the biggest call of his career when he got to sign for WWE. He made his WWE debut directly on the main roster in the first episode of Smackdown after WrestleMania 22. The Undertaker was having a rematch from WrestleMania against Mark Henry in the main event of the show. Suddenly a huge man showed up.
This huge man entered the ring and attacked the Undertaker. The Phenom tried to fight back but the big man was really strong. The Undertaker was beaten down by this big man. The very next week, it was revealed that the big man was no other person but The Great Khali. Upon joining the main roster, he instantly started a feud with Undertaker. This feud helped him a lot for his future WWE career.
Undefeated Streak
Khali had the biggest match of his career at the Judgement Day 2006 event against the Undertaker. Not only he defeated the Undertaker but completely dominated and destroyed him. Nobody in the history of wrestling could ever dominate the Undertaker like him before. He kept on having more big wins in the following days of his career, like a big victory over Kane at WrestleMania 23. He had a long feud with Kane and it continued for years
Feud with John Cena
He had an undefeated streak going for nearly a year and he defeated some of the biggest names of the business during this process. But finally his streak was broken by John Cena when he challenged him for the WWE championship. He was the first opponent that Khali failed to beat, and he also lost against the Champ. His undefeated streak was ended by John Cena.
World Heavyweight Champion
Another success arrived in Khali’s career in 2007. He went on to win the World Heavyweight Championship on SmackDown after he won a Battle Royal which was booked to decide the new World Heavyweight Champion. He last eliminated Batista and Kane to win the Battle Royal.
Khali had a two months long World title reign before he finally dropped the title to Batista in an episode of Smackdown. He challenged Batista for the title again at No Mercy event in a Punjabi Prison match but lost again. It seems like Khali was completely out of the World Championship picture and also from the main event picture. But his popularity among the fans, especially indian fans never faded.
Babyface Turn
In 2008 he turned babyface for the first time in his WWE career. Started playing a playboy character and also ran a segment called Khali Kisscam where he used to pick random girls from the audience and gave them French kiss. This angle was a critical failure but the live audience during the segment used to love it. But this segment did not meet positive reviews from the critics.
Feud with Kane
Khali kept on having major feuds in the future like in 2009 had a feud with Kane, there were two big matches on two back to back pay per view events; Summerslam and The Breaking Point, Khali lost both matches against Kane. Khali’s was fading slowly and ultimately he was turning out to be a lower mid card. Khali’s contract remained intact until 2017 when it finally expired and he decided to leave the promotion.
Final Days
In 2015 he decided to start his own professional wrestling promotion which would be situated in India. He named it Continental Wrestling Entertainment and majority of Indian professional wrestlers started working in the promotion. Some of the wrestlers from this promotion made breakthroughs in WWE like Kavita Devi and Dilsher Shanky. In 2021 he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Professional Table
Ring Name |
The Great Khali |
The Great Khali Nick Names |
The Punjabi Giant, The Punjabi Playboy |
Profession(s) |
Professional Wrestler |
The Great Khali Height |
7’1” |
The Great Khali Weight |
347 lbs. |
Relationship Status |
Married |
The Great Khali Net Worth |
$6 Million |
The Great Khali Eye Color |
Brown |
The Great Khali Hair Color |
Black |
Wrestling Debut |
2000 |
Mentor |
Manjeet Singh |
The Great Khali Signature Moves |
Brain Chop, Big Boot, Short-arm clothesline, Spin Kick |
Finishing Move(s) |
Khali Bomb, The Vice Grip |
Theme Song / The Great Khali Song / The Great Khali Music |
Land Of Five Rivers |
Catchphrases |
*
|
The Great Khali Net Worth & Salary
According to reports from various media sources, the net worth of The Great Khali is something around $6 million. About his salary, he is currently retired from in ring action so he does not earn anything as his salary. But before his retirement from WWE, he earned $974,000 including a bonus of $300,000 according to various media sources.
The Great Khali Family
Khali was born and brought up in Dhiraina which is a village in Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh. He was one of the seven children of Jwala Ram and Tandi Devi. He is married to Harminder Kaur since 2002 and together the couple has an eight year old daughter. Khali currently resides in Jalandhar along with his family.
Championships and Accomplishments
Khali was an active professional wrestler for more than fifteen years, but he could not win enough championships in his wrestling career. But he did win one top championships which is the World Heavyweight Championship in WWE. He also won the CWE Heavyweight Championship two times.
The Great Khali Championships and Accomplishments Table
Championship and Accomplishments (WWE) |
World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2021), Slammy Award (1 time) |
Championship and Accomplishments (Outside WWE)
|
CWE Heavyweight Championship (2 times), Teisen Hall Six-Man Tournament (2002) – with Masahiro Chono and Giant Silva, Ranked No. 83 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2008, Wrestling Observer Newsletter – Most Overrated (2007), Worst Gimmick (2008)
|
Records |
First and only World Champion in WWE who was originally from India |
Personal life & Lifestyle
Khali currently lives in Jalandhar with his family. She is married to Harminder Kaur since 2002 and together they have an eight year old daughter who was born on 2014. Khali announced his retirement from in ring action in 2018 and she currently living a happy life with his family.
Great Khali cars – Khali owns a total of three cars. His Ford Endeavour is worth $48,000, his Toyota Fortuner is worth $45,000 and his Toyota Glanza worth $10,000.
Personal Information Table
The Great Khali Real Name / Full Name |
Dalip Singh Rana |
Birth Date
|
27 August 1972 |
The Great Khali Age |
51 |
Relationship Status |
Married |
Zodiac Sign |
Virgo |
Birthplace |
Dhiraina, Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh, India |
Nationality |
Indian |
Hometown |
Dhiraina, Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh, India |
School/College/University |
No information available yet |
Educational Qualification |
No information available yet |
Religion |
Hinduism |
The Great Khali Ethnicity |
Punjabi Rajput |
Current Residence |
Jalandhar |
Hobbies |
Gymming |
The Great Khali Tattoo |
None |
The Great Khali Movies and TV Shows
Khali has tried his luck in the acting career as well. He appeared in some main stream Hollywood movies like The Longest Yard and Get Smart starring the likes of Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Steve Carrell, and Anne Hathaway. He also appeared Bollywood movies like Kushti and Rama The Savior.
The Great Khali Wife
Khali is married to Harmindar Kaur since 2002 and together they have an eight year old daughter named Avleen. Together they are living a happy life in Jalandhar.
Criticism
In spite of being one of the top stars of WWE for a certain amount of time, Khali had to face massive criticism from the fans and the critics. He was not a very good in ring athlete, still, he was given this huge boost because WWE wanted to capture the huge market of India. And it actually worked, along with Khali, WWE’s popularity also raised in India.
Iconic Quotes From The Great Khali
“Had the WWE fights were artificial and pre-scripted, there would have been no need for wrestlers like The Great Khali and The Undertaker. You cannot fool thousands of people crammed into a stadium and sitting four to five feet away from you in the ring.”
“There is not much awareness about fitness in India, unlike other countries. We don’t get too many medals at Olympics; one of the reasons is we don’t have that culture of fitness in India. That is why we decided to start this chain of gyms under my name.”
“I travel nearly 200 to 300 miles a day for my matches and promotions and end up eating junk food, which is not good for me. Things are better when I am at home; my wife is a very good cook, and she makes rice, dal, and chapatis for me.”
“It is a magical feeling to perform for 50,000 people. You decide when they cheer and when they are quiet. It’s like you have them under your control.”
“When I was struggling to get recognition as a wrestler, I faced innumerable hardships. I even slept on the ring itself after finishing my practice. Those days, I did not have a house to live.”
“India has plenty of talent. If they are imparted with proper training, the country will surely produce scores of wrestlers, better than me. I want more and more Indians to participate in the game.”
“WWE was far more tougher than working for a film where you could take a shot and go and rest in the trailer, but for WWE, one had to exercise, eat well, fight, and even deal with injuries.”
Notable Feuds and Rivalries of The Great Khali
Khali had a number of feuds and rivalries in WWE. But among them we must name two rivalries that can actually be considered the best of his career. The first one is also the first feud of his career, it was against the Undertaker. And the other one was the half brother of the Undertaker, against Kane. Khali had a long rivalry with the Big Red Machine and ultimately Khali lost this feud.
The Great Khali Injury
The Great Khali did not suffer many injuries throughout his wrestling career but it is also important to know that he comparatively had a short career. One of the memorable injuries of his career was from 2006 when he was having a feud with the Undertaker and was scheduled to face the Dead Man at the Great American Bash 2006 in a Punjabi Prison match. But Khali picked up an injury before the event and he could not compete in this match. Ultimately, he was replaced by The Big Show.
Other Details
Khali suffered acromegaly, which is the reason behind abnormal growth of height and also his long chin. Khali has also appeared in multiple episodes of the Kapil Sharma show which is one of the most popular television show of India.
The Great Khali Salary |
Approx. $1m before retiring |
Brand Endorsements |
Licious, Cadbury Fuse, KFC, Swiggy Instamart |
Sponsors |
No information available yet |
Charity |
No information available yet |
Unknown Fact About the Great Khali
The Great Khali is an extremely Punjabi Rajput Hindu and he adopted his name after Hindu Goddess Kali.
Social Media Accounts
The Great Khali does not have any verified account of Twitter, however, he remains active in his verified account of Instagram with a stunning following of 6 million people. You can see all his activities by clicking in this link; The Great Khali Instagram
The Great Khali Win Loss Record
Promotion | Win % | Draw % | Loss % |
APW | 7 (46.67%) | 1 (6.67%) | 7 (46.67%) |
CMLL | 0 (0.00%) | 0 (0.00%) | 1 (100.00%) |
CWE | 3 (75.00%) | 1 (25.00%) | 0 (0.00%) |
DSW | 5 (83.33%) | 0 (0.00%) | 1 (16.67%) |
NJPW | 39 (82.98%) | 1 (2.13%) | 7 (14.89%) |
NXT | 1 (100.00%) | 0 (0.00%) | 0 (0.00%) |
WRESTLE-1 | 0 (0.00%) | 0 (0.00%) | 1 (100.00%) |
WWE | 267 (62.68%) | 20 (4.69%) | 139 (32.63%) |
TOTAL | 322 (64.27%) | 23 (4.59%) | 156 (31.14%) |
The Great Khali Manager
The Great Khali had to different managers in two time periods of his career. When he was working as a heel early in his career, he was being managed by Shawn Daivari. But after he became the Punjabi Playboy, he started being managed by Ranjin Singh. Both of these managers did excellent jobs in his career.
FAQS
Q. When did The Great Khali start wrestling?
A. The Great Khali started working in 2000
Q. How tall is The Great Khali in feet?
A. The Great Khali is 7’1” tall in feet
Q. Who is The Great Khali manager?
A. The Great Khali does had two consistent managers in different times. At first., Shawn Daivari was his manager, next it was Ranjin Singh.
Q. What is current The Great Khali song?
A. Khali uses the song ‘Land of Five Rivars’
Q. Who is The Great Khali mother?
A. The Great Khali’s mother was Tandi Devi
Q. Who is The Great Khali father?
A. Khali’s father was Jwala Ram
Q. Who is currently The Great Khali girlfriend?
A. Khali is currently married to Harminder Kaur
Q. Who is The Great Khali brother?
A. Khali is one of seven siblings in total.
Q. How much is The Great Khali worth?
A. Khali’s net worth is something around $6m
Q. When did The Great Khali beat the Undertaker?
A. Khali beat the Undertaker at Judgment Day 2006
Q. When did Khali win the World Heavyweight Championship?
A. Khali won the World Heavyweight Championship in 2007 in an episode of Smackdown
Q. How did The Great Khali win the World Heavyweight Championship?
A. Khali won the World Heavyweight Championship by winning a Battle Royal in Smackdown