The Great Khali

Everyone looked up to The Great Khali – whether you wanted to or not.

That’s because the 7-foot-1, 347-pound skyscraper of a man 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.

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. He frequently has appeared on screens of all sizes from Bollywood to Hollywood, which includes prominent acting roles in the feature films “The Longest Yard” (2005), “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.”

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.