WWE hired Dalip Singh Rana because they were convinced that hes a huge star in India, ignoring the fact that Indians, like fans pretty much everywhere else, like John Cena and Randy Orton as much as the next casual fan. Following the pattern established earlier, Khalis first mission in WWE was to destroy the Undertaker, which he did, for about three months. He was booked to demolish the Deadman in such a way as to suggest that he had broken the Undertakers spirit, because apparently Taker had never been beaten so decisively. However, Undertaker came back (as he always does) and defeated Khali, who gained more of a reputation as a boring wrestler than a threat to any champion. The Great Khali was never a good wrestler; his size was his own biggest flaw. While he certainly looked intimidating, the fact was that he could barely move in the ring, and his offense was composed by slow chops, even slower kicks that tended to go over his opponents heads, vice-grips, and a two-handed Chokeslam. What else could he possibly do in the ring? Yet this is a man who actually defeated the likes of John Cena, the Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and Ric Flair, just to name a few. He also won the World Heavyweight Championship, despite having difficulties cutting a promo in English, or putting on a competitive match. It should come as no surprise that Khali was easily the most overrated wrestler in 2007; he was clearly hired for his appearance and not for his skills. Considering that WWE paid him close to $1 million per year, it's downright unbelievable that WWE was so willing to use him on a regular basis, even if he didn't even wrestle in many of his matches. As if that wasnt bad enough, WWE decided to keep him on the roster as a comedy gimmick in the Punjabi Playboy. There were so many other people on the roster fans wanted to see, but were stuck watching Khali dance horrendously and kiss random women in the audience. Maybe Khali shouldve stayed as a policeman in his native Punjab province; at least hes scarier in that role than as a playboy.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
