The Great Khali is an Indian wrestler, actor and also founder of CWE Academy. CWE Academy is a wrestling school in Ramamandi Hoshiarpur Road, PO Hazara, Tehsil Jalandhar, Kangniwal, Punjab. The real name of Khali is Dalip Singh Rana. He set up the Indian version of WWE ( World Wrestling Entertainment ), i.e, CWE ( Continental Wrestling Entertainment ) in the year 2015. His fight club holds weekly Saturday night fights that have become a touring event. Khali is one of the best among many pro-wrestlers in India. Here you will know about Great Khali height, age and life in details.
Physical stats
Khali was the first Indian to sign a WWE contract. He weighs 157 kilograms or 347 pounds. Khali height is 7 feet 1 inch or 216 centimetres or 2.16 metres. His eyes are brown and are often called a giant. His chest is as big as 63 inches including his waist and biceps to be 46 and 25 inches respectively.
Childhood & Family
This 48 years old professional wrestler has had quite a rough childhood. As a young boy, he had to earn a living to support his family. Khali couldn’t pursue higher education and worked as a roadside labourer in Himachal Pradesh for some time. He then transferred to Shimla to work as a security guard. Khali’s height has been his greatest advantage. His tall and powerful look was enough to hire him for the job. Dalip was born in a small village, Dhiraina located in the Sirmour district of Himachal Pradesh.
He was one among the other six children born to his father Jwala Ram and mother Tandi Devi. While working as a security guard, Khali received a job by Mahal Singh Bhullar at the Punjab Police. Mahal Singh Bhullar was the police chief back then. He knew Khali was worth a try. Eventually, Rana headed back to his home Jalandhar, Punjab. That is when Rana began wrestling at the local gym. Khali has been married to Harminder Kaur since 2002. She does not match Khali’s height in feet at all. But, as people say, love is not about physical attraction. They have been happily married for 18 years now and also share a gorgeous baby daughter.
Khali – Career
The Great Khali made his wrestling debut on 7 October 2000 against West Side Playaz. The journey to his professional wrestling career began when he flew to The United States in the year 1999 to join APW boot camp as a trainee ( All Pro Wrestling ). Rana spent 8 months in San Francisco after signing a contract with the WWE. Khali faced his first defeat at the New Japan Pro – Wrestling where he was invited by Masahiro Chono and Giant Silva. Before signing for WWE, Rana also did several paid promotions for CMLL ( Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre ) and AJPW ( All Japan Pro Wrestling ).
Khali was also confirmed to be a part of the WWE Hall of Fame, class 2021, on 24th March 2001. WWE Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling event that honours professional wrestlers. It is a big accomplishment for a wrestler to be a part of this event. Over the years, Khali received uncountable success. In India, Khali is a great wrestling personality.
Acting
Khali’s height has been a big advantage throughout his life. Benefitting from this, he was offered a lot of action fantasy, sports comedy and spy comedy movies. They include The Longest Yard ( 2005 ), Get Smart ( 2008 ), MacGruber ( 2010 ), Kushti ( 2010 ), Ramaa: The Saviour ( 2010 ), HOUBA! On the Trail of the Marsupilami ( 2012 ). He was also a part of various television shows like Bigg Boss ( 2010 ), NBC’s Outsourced ( 2011 ), Disney’s Pair of Kings ( 2012 ). Khali was the Season 4 runner-up of the popular Indian television show, Bigg Boss. The show made special arrangements for this internationally famous wrestler. They custom-made a special bed that matched Khali’s height in feet.
Khali – Awards & Achievements
- The Great Khali is a one time WWE Heavyweight Champion. He won the 20 – man battle royal and received the belt on 17th July 2007. His SmackDown episode got viral on July 20th.
- He won the CWE’s Heavyweight Champion twice
- He also won the Slammy Award for Khali Kiss Cam in the year 2008 for Damn! Moment of the Year.
- He was also referred to as the worst gimmick in the year 2008 and the most overrated wrestler in the year 2007 by Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
- Khali won the Mr. India contest throughout two consecutive years, 1995 and 1996
- He was ranked 83 among the top 500 single wrestlers in the PWI 500 ( 2008 ) and many more.
Ong’s death
Brian Ong was an American professional wrestler. Khali happened to kill Ong during a fight at the APW ring. Ong received a flapjack, a professional wrestling throw, from Khali. Sources confirm that Ong had received a previous concussion during a fight. Although the trainers asked him to continue his training sessions. Also, APW did not provide proper safety gears to him. All these incidents including Khali’s flapjack were the end of the popular American wrestler, Brian Ong on 28th May 2001. Khali is extremely strong and his height is a boon to SmackDown even the most powerful opponents. APW was sued by Ong’s wife after this terrible incident. Khali continued his wrestling career even after Ong’s death.
Injury
Khali received several head injuries after the trio Brody, Mike and Apollo knocked down the giant despite Khali’s height. He was hit very hard with a steel chair. Khali suffered a concussion and several other head injuries during this fight. His treatment took place with much care by some of the most renowned doctors in the country. An asset like Khali could not be lost. Khali was soon discharged and the doctors confirmed no further worries regarding the head injury. This incident made him furious and promised revenge to his attackers. Khali’s statement after being discharged showed immense rage. Despite the doctor’s advice to stay away from the ring, Khali had a determination to fight back. He also suffered from severe knee injuries which required surgery.
Conclusion
He has received a lot of love and hatred from people. However, he has never lost his strength and patience. Although several people mocked him for his physical appearance, he never took the criticisms seriously. Khali is not only a winner in the ring but also in life. Get to know about the cutest personality of Bollywood, Neha Kakkar here.