The Great Khali Height, Weight, Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About The Great Khali

• The Great Khali is a retired professional wrestler, promoter, actor, ex-Punjab Police official, bodybuilder, and trainer who is the first Indian-origin wrestler to sign a contract with WWE and become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. In 2o21, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

• He had difficulties studying the alphabet, particularly those of Hindi when he started studying at the local school in his village. He was studying in the second standard in 1979. When his parents were unable to pay off Rs 2.50, his annual school fees, he was made fun of by his school teacher after which he dropped out of school and never attended any school again.

• He showed incredible growth at a young age as he was five feet tall when he was eight. In 1979, after dropping out of school, he earned his first salary of Rs 5 from his first job which included carrying a bag of plant saplings from a downhill location to the village located on the top of the village.
  

  The Great Khali (right) during his early teenage years

• Later, his distant relative named Gyar Singh (whom Khali called Tau meaning elder paternal uncle) helped him get a contract job which included picking soft pebbles (Rohdi in Himachali dialect) from a nearby river and carrying them to the market; he earned a daily salary of Rs 7 from this job.

• When he used to pick pebbles from the river, a funny incident happened to him. He only had one kurta and one underwear (he wore Kacha, a type of underwear worn with a thread to hold it). When he was working one day, the thread broke off due to which his underwear came off, and his colleagues started making fun of him. He could not afford any other underwear and paid 50 paise to get the thread sewn off.
  

  The Great Khali during his early teenage years

• In 1981, he got a 3-months contract job at a road construction company outside his village where he earned Rs 15 per day. The stipulated amount was Rs 1250, he was only paid Rs 460 at the end of 3 months due to which he felt that he was cheated.
  

  The Great Khali (third from right) when he was a teen

• The next day, Khali, his father, and two other people went to the contractor who initially refused to pay the remaining money and abused them; however, when Khali threatened to beat him, he paid the remaining amount. Khali said in an interview later that this incident taught him to always stand up for his rights.
  

  The Great Khali (left) when he was working as a construction worker

• He later worked as a stone crusher and bodyguard of a hotelier in Shimla and earned Rs 1500 per month.
  

  The Great Khali when he was working in Shimla

• A retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who also served as the Director General of the Punjab Police (DSP), Mehal Singh Bhullar, saw him in Shimla and got him a job in the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) in 1993, with initial posting in Jalandhar; he joined as a constable and later became a sub-inspector.
  

  The Great Khali with DSP Mehal Singh Bhullar (right) when he joined the Punjab Police

• While working in the Punjab Police, he played different sports including basketball, shotput throw, discus throw, and bodybuilding; however, he could not continue any game for long due to complications in his body.
  

  The Great Khali in his younger days

• He won the bodybuilding competition Mr India twice in 1995 and 1996. His first bodybuilding coach was Dr Randhir Hastir who died in February 2016. He later became a wrestler.
  

  The Great Khali during a shoot for Mr India

• From October 2000 to 2001, he fought in the All Pro Wrestling (APW) based in Hayward, California as a professional wrestler under the ring name Giant Singh.
  

  The Great Khali when he fought in All Pro Wrestling as Giant Singh

• In 2001, he moved to San Francisco where he trained at World Championship Wrestling (WCW) for eight months.

• From 2001 to 2002, he wrestled in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
  

  The Great Khali competing in New Japan Pro-Wrestling as Giant Singh

• Between 2002 and 2006, he wrestled in the Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and the Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW).
  

  The Great Khali (second from left) when he fought in a Mexican wrestling promotion

• On 2 January 2006, he became the first Indian wrestler to sign a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He initially wrestled in Deep South Wrestling (DSW) for two months.

• When the Great Khali entered WWE, he was suggested many names which included Big Bheema from the Bheem of Mahabharata and Shiva which were rejected to not offend Hindu sentiments. Later, The Great Khali name was finalised for him based on the Hindu Goddess Kali.

• On 7 April 2006, he made his first appearance on SmackDown with his manager Daivari and attacked The Undertaker during his match against Mark Henry.
  

  A photo of The Great Khali when he attacked The Undertaker

• Daivari introduced him to WWE fans as The Great Khali on 14 April 2006. On 21 April 2006, he won his first WWE match against Funaki.

• On 18 August 2006, he suffered his first loss in WWE at the hands of The Undertaker. He moved to RAW in January 2007 and fought against several popular wrestlers such as John Cena, Rey Mysterio, and Shawn Michaels.
  

  The Great Khali wrestling against John Cena (left)

• Ranjin Singh became his manager in May 2007. He won his first World Heavyweight Championship on 20 July 2007 after he won the 20-man Battle Royal.
  

  The Great Khali with his manager Ranjin Singh after winning the World Heavyweight Championship title

• After retaining the title for 61 days, he lost it in a triple-threat match against Batista and Rey Mysterio on 16 September 2007. He failed to win the championship in a Punjabi Prison match against Batista.
  

  The Great Khali fighting against Batista (lying down)

• On 30 March 2008, he wrestled in a 24-man Battle Royal match during Wrestlemania 24 which he could not win. He was given the nickname The Punjabi Playboy after the Khali Kiss Cam in October 2008. He also gained attention for a kiss with the WWE wrestler Beth Phoenix.
  

  Beth Phoenix kissing the Great Khali

• The Great Khali suffers from a condition named Acromegaly due to which he has a huge size and an outward chin. The famous WWE wrestler Andre The Giant also suffered from Acromegaly; however, he died young at the age of 46 due to the complications caused due to this condition. The growth-inducing tumour on Khali’s pituitary gland was removed in surgery in July 2012 to stop from developing any complications.

• He later fought in many matches against Dolph Ziggler, Jinder Mahal, Edge, and Kofi Kingston. Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler eliminated him in the Royal Rumble 25 in January 2012. On 2 January 2013, Cesaro defeated him in the United States Championship match.
  

  The Great Khali with Jinder Mahal (right) during a WWE match

• On 6 April 2014, he lost the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in Wrestlemania 30. On 30 November 2014, his WWE contract ended.

• He once got into a real fight with the WWE wrestler Big Show backstage who was not happy with one of Khali’s moves. They hit each other briefly before other wrestlers stopped them.
  

  The Great Khali fighting against Big Show in a WWE match

• He left WWE and returned to India in 2015, yet he has been featured in WWE shows including The Greatest Royal Rumble Match in 2018.
  

  The Great Khali and his wife during a meeting with Pratibha Singh Patil, the 12th President of India (right) after returning to India

• In February 2015, he started his wrestling promotion and school in Jalandhar, Punjab which he named Continental Wrestling Entertainment (CWE). In February 2016, he won the CWE World Heavyweight Championship.
  

  The Great Khali with CWE World Heavyweight Championship belt

• As of February 2024, CWE has more than 4 million (40 Lakh) YouTube subscribers with around 1.5 billion views and is the largest wrestling promotion in India. ^[17]YouTube – CWE India He produced many popular wrestlers such as Shanky and Kavita Devi who went on to wrestle in WWE.
  

  The Great Khali with Shanky (left)

• The Great Khali has many signature moves such as Big Boot, Head butt, Brain chop, Nerve hold, Short-arm clothesline, Forehand chop, and Spin kick.

• He has appeared in many English films such as Get Smart (2008) and MacGruber (2010). In 2010, he also appeared in the Hindi film Ramaa: The Saviour.
  

  The Great Khali with his wife during a shoot

• When he participated in Bigg Boss 4 in 2010, he earned a weekly salary of Rs 50 lakh. A special bed was made for him due to his huge size. He has also been featured as a guest in several talk shows such as The Kapil Sharma Show and Aap Ki Adalat.
  

  The Great Khali with Shweta Tiwari and Salman Khan (left to right) during the final of Bigg Boss 4

• In 2012, he was featured in the Franco-Belgian CGI animated/live-action comedy film Houba! On the Trail of the Marsupilami (Original title: Sur la piste du Marsupilami) as Bolo/Petite Voix. He appeared in the trailer of the Malayalam film Minnal Murali in 2021 and the Bangladeshi film MR-9: Do or Die in 2023.
  

  The Great Khali (left) during a still of the trailer of Minnal Murali film

• He released his autobiography The Man Who Became Khali in February 2017 which he co-wrote with Vinit Kumar Bansal.
  

  Cover of The Great Khali’s autobiography, The Man Who Became Khali

• The Great Khali has been featured in several projects of governments of different Indian states. He became the brand ambassador of the plastic-free Himachal Pradesh movement in May 2018 which aimed to reduce the use of plastic bags. ^[18]The Statesman
  

  The Great Khali (in white) when he became the brand ambassador of Plastic-free Himachal Pradesh

• He eats 3 meals every day and consumes a diet comprising 2 kg of chicken, 2 kg of milk, and 60-70 eggs (only egg whites) every day. He often eats Indian home-cooked food such as dal with rice and sarso ka saag with makki ki roti, a lot of fruits such as figs and drinks juices. He does not consume fast food such as tea, coffee, bread, and biscuits.

• He goes to the gym daily where he does traditional exercises such as squats, leg presses, shoulder presses, and bench presses to tone his chest, shoulders, abs, and legs. His workout schedule is spread over 6 days with a rest day on Saturday.
  

  The Great Khali during a gym session

• His toys have been sold by WWE. In many WWE video games, he has been featured as a downloadable character.
  

  The Great Khali toy

• After joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 10 February 2022, he said that he joined the party as he was impressed with Narendra Modi’s policies which he considered nationalistic. ^[19]The Indian Express
  

  The Great Khali with Narendra Modi (left)

• He opened a roadside hotel named The Great Khali Dhaba in Karnal, Haryana in October 2022. It is located inside the ‘Great Khali Academy’ in Karnal which is spread over an area of 10 acres and has a fitness Centre, gymnasium, sports complex, and wrestling enclave.
  

  The Great Khali at his Dhaba

• The Great Khali’s fans often comment hilarious things on his social media posts, particularly on Instagram. His voiceover reels have often gone viral.
  

  Comments on an Instagram post of The Great Khali

• His father once said in an interview that Khali could have had similarities with his grandfather who was very tall with a height of more than 6′ 6″.

• He claimed in an interview that he lives a very spiritual life, does meditation every day, and does not consume tobacco or alcohol. He is also a big follower of Ashutosh Maharaj.
  

  The Great Khali during a visit to Ashutosh Maharaj

• Khali said in an interview that he is a very good cook and can cook almost any Indian dish.

• The song, Land of Five Rivers, composed by Panjabi MC and music by Jim Johnston was his entrance theme song during WWE.

• He often faced racism while wrestling in WWE and other wrestling promotions. In an interview, he said that he often got uncomfortable at first, but he slowly started ignoring such instances.

• In an interview, he said that he could not fit into economy class due to his huge body, hence he always has to fly business class. He has a special tailor and shoemaker as his shoe size is 18 and is rarely available in the market.
  

  The Great Khali (in white) with his tailor