Dalip Singh Rana one of the biggest brands in the Indian sporting arena beginning from the scratch went on to scale the heights of the lucrative US-based WWE and walked out to be named among the finest to have graced the industry from the sub-continent.
Dalip Singh Rana aka The Great Khali is one of the biggest brands in the Indian sporting arena that took the world by storm when he walked towards the ring for the first time in front of the legendary The Undertaker in the WWE. Appalled by his physical structure and dominance, not only the WWE Universe was stunned but even the Undertaker was chopped down in the ring which he ruled for decades. However, it might not be known to everyone that Dalip Singh Rana build his WWE career from the scratch.
But, despite his repeated struggles how does Dalip Rana emerge to become ‘The Great Khali’ one of the finest wrestlers that India has ever produced, his journey at a glance? Let's have a look-
Early Life:
Rana’s journey to the pinnacle of his career has been full of struggles beginning with his childhood days. Rana was born in a Rajput Family to Jwala Ram and Tandi Dhiraina village of Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district.
Dalip Singh Rana did not belong to a financially rich family. In fact, among the seven siblings, Rana had to do odd jobs to help his family make ends meet. He suffered from acromegaly, which is among other symptoms causing gigantism and chin protrusion. Despite that, he never took that as an obstacle and took things resiliently with complete dedication to whatever came his way. Now, the question arises how Dalip Singh Rana became a wrestler? When Rana was serving as a security guard in Shimla, he caught the eye of a police officer from the neighbouring State of Punjab. Notably, the Police officer previously helped several employees of the Punjab Police to become international sportspersons.
That officer got him employed in the Punjab Police back in 1993, but, he was reluctant to leave his home state. Upon his arrival, he was trained in the local gyms of Jalandhar to become a wrestler and soon was selected for specialised wrestling training in the United States. Before embarking on the professional wrestling journey he received successive promotions and was positioned as the ASI in Punjab Police.
Beginning of a new destiny:
Before breaking out as The Great Khali, Rana came to the United States to pursue a career in wrestling. He worked with several major promotions in the world, such as WCW, NJPW, CMLL, and AJPW, before signing with WWE.
Reign of the WWE (2006-2021):
In 2006, Rana got a contract with WWE and started appearing for SmackDown. They renamed him The Great Khali and he defeated several notable superstars such as The Undertaker, Kane, Rey Mysterio, Ric, Flair, and Batista during his time on SmackDown.
Undefeated Streak and the reign of World Champion 2006-2008:
Khali had an undefeated streak which was broken by The Undertaker at SummerSlam in a last-man-standing match. After the feud, Khali spent the rest of the year in ECW. In 2007, they drafted Khali to RAW, where his feud with Kane began. At WrestleMania XXIII, he defeated Kane.
After Mania, he went on to challenge John Cena for the WWE Championship, however, was defeated on two different occasions. Later in the draft, Khali went to Smackdown in a 20-man battle royal on SmackDown and eliminated Kane and Batista to win his first WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
The title of Punjabi Playboy and Hall of Fame (2009-2021):
Khali adopted a new identity in the WWE and was called The Punjabi Playboy. Also, he went on to host the kiss cam for the audiences attending the show. Khali spent the next few years in various appearances and matches but did not win any championships. He was paired with Natalya as an on-screen couple for a few months. Khali spent his last few years taking part in royal rumble matches and various tag team matches.
Khali was seen making a few sporadic appearances for NXT. In 2017, Khali's contract expired and was released from the company. He later made a shocking return at Battleground to help his fellow countryman Jinder Mahal to retain his WWE Championship. And it was in 2021, Khali was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. In 2015, Khali opened his own wrestling school in Punjab and is currently working as a promoter.