10 Reasons Why You Need To Respect The Great Khali
Size Does Matter.
Randy Orton isn't much of an actor, which implies he felt a genuine fear when The Great Khali made his arm-swinging return to WWE TV to aid Jinder Mahal in successfully retaining SmackDown Live!'s top title at the climax of their woeful 30-minute Punjabi Prison match.
Name-dropped in the build-up to the clash, it was always possible he would make an appearance, but to do so in such decisive fashion allowed him to return near the very top of the card.
Restricting Randy Orton's progress and allowing Mahal to hop out over the top of the outer structure, Khali served his purpose and completed 'The Maharaja's stable as the giant monster in comedy contrast to the diminutive Singh Brothers.
Wrestling fans have long memories, and his saunter onto the stage drew a humongous reaction that diminished just as fast when it became clear he was coming to get 'The Viper'.
Following the enormous surprise pop, many cheers turned to jeers as crowd members gradually reminisced over some of Khali's worst moments, but it's worth paying heed to the oft-forgotten highlights his choppy WWE tenures produced.
10. Versatility
Wrestling Observer doyen Dave Meltzer has in the past noted how Vince McMahon used to salivate at the prospect of eventually signing Paul Wight, implying that WCW were completely wasting a talent he knew could be a surefire megastar under his tutelage.
The reality was far different from McMahon's fantasy. Big Show was pinned and turned less than two months into his tenure, kicking off a career following an identical pattern that continues to this day. In reality, Vince might be the guy to go to if you want big guys, but he's certainly not great with giants.
Excluding Andre The Giant, WWE has played host to several seven-footers, but few have shown the multifaceted temperament of The Great Khali.
As a heel, he was a believable monster, utterly unstoppable and with a punch and kick that hurt ten times as hard as that of a regular foe. Turned face and relegated to comedy, he managed to charm and delight with his broken english, filling up the bottom end of the card with daft romances and a daft-nature that humanised him despite his broken English being a traditional stumbling block in WWE.
McMahon never made the millions he perhaps should have with Khali, but he did at least create an attraction that could slot in just about anywhere on his cards the world over. With that and his incredible stature, he remained quite the commodity.