Superstars talk big about The Great Khali
July 18, 2007
LAREDO, Texas -- To say it was a huge night for The Great Khali is the biggest of understatements. After stripping an injured Edge of his World Heavyweight Championship, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long ordered a 20-Man Battle Royal to determine the successor to the gold. The 7-foot-3 colossus not only proved to our fans in the Laredo Entertainment Center that he was more than up for the supersized task, he also made a monstrous impact on the entire SmackDown roster.
"Being in the ring with The Great Khali was like being in the ring with 10 men," described Cruiserweight Champion Chavo Guerrero of his Battle Royal encounter with the giant. "I kept hitting him and hitting him, and when I hit people, they usually go down. But he just looked at me, then headbutted me. I've never felt anything like it."
Though reluctant to give proper due to the new World Heavyweight Champion, WWE Tag Team Champions Deuce & Domino were equally impressed by Khali's Battle Royal dominance. "Deuce & Domino are tough. Real tough," Domino said. "But The Great Khali impressed me tonight. We almost took him. Actually, it was me who was almost champion. You saw it."
Cutting his partner short, Deuce adamantly insisted, "No, wait a second. Deuce was almost champion." The two Superstars stared each other down for a moment, then agreed to end the conversation altogether, with Deuce stating, "Anyway, Khali's tough, but we almost took him."
"It's always good to see a strong, physically impressive man be champion," said Mark Henry, "and [The Great Khali] is all of those. I can't help but wonder what would have happened if I had been able to get my hands on him. But as everyone saw, the whole WWE SmackDown roster stopped me from doing that. I won't forget that."
If there's one thing that recent SmackDown returnee Chuck Palumbo won't forget any time soon, it's the new champion's massive ring presence. "Khali is one big, mean, scary guy, man. Anyone who challenges him for the World Heavyweight Title is in for a hardcore battle, that's for sure."
"I'm 6-foot-4, and [The Great Khali] makes me look like a small child," admitted Dave Taylor. "I got in some good shots [in the Battle Royal], but he gave me some real good ones. He's a huge man…just way too powerful."
Before leaving the arena, United States Champion Montel Vontavious Porter summed his opinion of The Great Khali wearing the World Heavyweight Title with three simple words: "Oh, hell no!"
Thankfully, MVP's challenger for the U.S. Title at this Sunday's Great American Bash offered more insight about The Great Khali, as well as how he now sees the "big picture."
"It was definitely a shocker seeing Khali win the Battle Royal tonight, and now he's the new World Heavyweight Champion," said Matt Hardy. "I don't want to take my focus off MVP right now; I want to defeat him at The Great American Bash and become the new United States Champion. But my goal since Day One -- ever since I stepped into WWE, and especially over the last couple of years -- is to become the World Heavyweight Champion. Now it's just an even bigger uphill battle with Khali as opposed to Edge."
"Being in the ring with The Great Khali was like being in the ring with 10 men," described Cruiserweight Champion Chavo Guerrero of his Battle Royal encounter with the giant. "I kept hitting him and hitting him, and when I hit people, they usually go down. But he just looked at me, then headbutted me. I've never felt anything like it."
Though reluctant to give proper due to the new World Heavyweight Champion, WWE Tag Team Champions Deuce & Domino were equally impressed by Khali's Battle Royal dominance. "Deuce & Domino are tough. Real tough," Domino said. "But The Great Khali impressed me tonight. We almost took him. Actually, it was me who was almost champion. You saw it."
Cutting his partner short, Deuce adamantly insisted, "No, wait a second. Deuce was almost champion." The two Superstars stared each other down for a moment, then agreed to end the conversation altogether, with Deuce stating, "Anyway, Khali's tough, but we almost took him."
"It's always good to see a strong, physically impressive man be champion," said Mark Henry, "and [The Great Khali] is all of those. I can't help but wonder what would have happened if I had been able to get my hands on him. But as everyone saw, the whole WWE SmackDown roster stopped me from doing that. I won't forget that."
If there's one thing that recent SmackDown returnee Chuck Palumbo won't forget any time soon, it's the new champion's massive ring presence. "Khali is one big, mean, scary guy, man. Anyone who challenges him for the World Heavyweight Title is in for a hardcore battle, that's for sure."
"I'm 6-foot-4, and [The Great Khali] makes me look like a small child," admitted Dave Taylor. "I got in some good shots [in the Battle Royal], but he gave me some real good ones. He's a huge man…just way too powerful."
Before leaving the arena, United States Champion Montel Vontavious Porter summed his opinion of The Great Khali wearing the World Heavyweight Title with three simple words: "Oh, hell no!"
Thankfully, MVP's challenger for the U.S. Title at this Sunday's Great American Bash offered more insight about The Great Khali, as well as how he now sees the "big picture."
"It was definitely a shocker seeing Khali win the Battle Royal tonight, and now he's the new World Heavyweight Champion," said Matt Hardy. "I don't want to take my focus off MVP right now; I want to defeat him at The Great American Bash and become the new United States Champion. But my goal since Day One -- ever since I stepped into WWE, and especially over the last couple of years -- is to become the World Heavyweight Champion. Now it's just an even bigger uphill battle with Khali as opposed to Edge."
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