Who is the first Indian that comes to our mind when we think of professional wrestling? Yes, it is none other than “The Great Khali” but what happens to us when someone asks us about Mr. Dalip Singh Rana? From what I can anticipate, most of us have never even heard that name before even when it is the same person. Perhaps we only know one side of Khali’s life because it has been so fascinating that we never bothered to peep into his side of the stories. Well, now is the time and this article is exactly what you have been missing ever since.
Early life :
August 27, 1972, was the day when this wrestling prodigy was born in the Dhiraina village of Himachal Pradesh by the name Dalip Singh Rana. He was one out of his 7 siblings belonging to an economically poor family. Above everything, while growing up, Khali eventually developed Acremogaly ( A disease that initiates due to the presence of excess growth hormone in the body after the growth plates have closed.) The disease not only resulted in Dalip’s gigantism but also a lumpy chin and a tumor which was treated later in his life.
Professional Career:
Even though Dalip was born in the state of Himachal Pradesh, his destiny was to begin in the state of Punjab. During his struggle period, Khali had to work for 18 hours a day that too as a mere laborer. As a result of his hard work and god’s grace, he met a police officer from Punjab, Mr. M.S. Bhullar while doing his job as a security guard. The officer from Punjab Police had paved the way for many people and was closely acquainted with many international sportspersons. Dalip took it as a ray of hope and soon after this incident, he got an offer from Punjab Police on 15th February 1994. Mr.Bhullar then asked Dalip to go for a Shot Put throw; agreeing to which Khali practiced the game and soon became the Inter-State shot put champion. Thereafter, being posted in the city of Jalandhar, Dalip started sweating
day and night in the local gyms and gradually ended up being selected for specialized training for wrestlers in the United States.
Wrestling:
Dalip fought his first match in the year 2000 along with Tony Jones against the West Side Playaz in the All-Pro Wrestling ring in the US. He was introduced as the “ Giant Singh” because of his exceptional 7feet 3inch tall body. After this match, he signed an agreement with the Word Championship Wrestling to make a fortune but this promotion but was soon bought by the World Wrestling Federation popularly known by its abbreviation WWF. It was finally in the year 2006 when Dalip Singh Rana became the first Indian to sign an agreement with World Wrestling Entertainment. Dalip’s first appearance in the ring can be traced back to the Smackdown episode of 7th April 2006 where he attacked The Undertaker following which he was introduced as “ The Great Khali”. This was the point from where he got the name by which we know him today. Soon after his first match, Khali kept on winning titles after titles; he even managed to become the World Heavyweight Champion after defeating Kane and Batista ( Two of the most renowned wrestlers)
Khali – The T.V. Star
In 2010, to everyone’s astonishment, Khali was featured in BigBoss season 4 where special arrangements were made for his stay while taking care of his humongous size. These included a customized Khali-sized bed for starters. Later in 2011, he was seen in the NBA’S 18th episode of outsourced.
Apart from this, Khali was also a part of a Disney Channel’s, Pair of Kings where he played the role of a giant.
The Instagram Star :
In 2021, because of his passion for Instagram reels and exceptional body size, The Great Khali was trolled by his followers with thousands of comments being floated and put upon his pictures and reels. Khali on the other hand didn’t react much to it and was often seen enjoying the comments himself. Reading his Instagram comments became a fun activity for almost every Indian of this decade. Apart from the masses, some YouTubers even created videos of them reading comments from Khali’s posts. Even these videos were viewed by millions of users.
Family Tree & Personal Life :
While the man of the hour is The Great Khali for us, he is still Dalip for his parents – Jwala Ram and his beloved mother Tandi Devi, who passed in June 2021. In 2002, Khali was married to Amrinder Kaur. Later in 2014, she gave birth to a gem-like girl, Aileen. Khali’s immense love for his daughter, Aileen can be seen on his Instagram stories where he often posts videos of her playing and cooking with him.
Continental Wrestling Entertainment (CWE) :
In January 2005, Khali opened his wrestling academy in Jalandhar, Punjab by the name of Continental Wrestling Entertainment. Here, he wishes to promote the dreams of many young wrestlers and aspires to help all those who have a passion for wrestling and bodybuilding.