The Great Khali is a professional wrestling icon for the Indian fanbase. Almost fifteen years ago from now, she was able to break into the WWE and make a big impact at a time when there was no scarcity of superstars in the locker room. Not only that, but he also pulled off a world heavyweight title win which was the first for an Indian-origin WWE Superstar.
Recently, WWE Now India followed The Great Khali who talked about his wrestling school in India. In the interview (transcribed by ITN WWE), the former champion mentioned how he always wanted to open a wrestling school in his native country. He wanted to give an opportunity to the aspiring WWE wrestlers so that they can have a better wrestling career, down the road.
The Great Khali wants to help fresh Indian wrestling talents
“It was my dream to start an academy in India,” The Great Khali said. “Since I was a wrestler myself, I did not want to be the last wrestler from India to join WWE. I wanted more young wrestlers from India to go to WWE to make India proud. I had a very hard time when I started my journey. Going from India, getting a visa in the US, finding a good academy to get trained. It was a tough path for me.”
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The seven-foot giant recalled how he started in the United States in the 2000s when he had the least amount of money with him. It took him a lot of struggles before finally make it to the big leagues. As a pro, he just wants to remove all the barriers put against the current generation if and when they decided to go into the pro-wrestling business.
One of the most memorable feuds of The Great Khali’s WWE career was his rivalry with The Undertaker. The two locked horns on quite a few occasions during the first few months of Khali’s WWE main roster run on Smackdown. It eventually culminated in a Last Man Standing match on an August 2016 episode of Smackdown.
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The Great Khali mentioned in the interview that he was inspired to wrestle after watching The Phenome. Plus, he admitted being fond of their matches, together,
“I started wrestling after watching The Undertaker. He was my inspiration to get into the business. It was such a memorable moment for me (getting a win over The Undertaker). It was a challenging match for me but it was equally momentous. It’s very close to my heart.”
The Great Khali is no more associated with the WWE since the year 2014 when he was released from his contract. Last year, he had the honor to go into the WWE Hall of Fame to cement his legacy in professional wrestling.
