Bigger Fall: Yokozuna or Khali

[TUFFY54]

Its no secret that Vince McMahon absolutly loves monster heels. Its seems like he's been searching for his next Andre The Giant for 20 years. He's had some great sucsesses (Kane, Undertaker) and some horrible failures (Yokozuna, Great Khali). This brings me to my point. Which one of these monsters fell out of favor faster? Heres the basics.

Yokozuna: Yoko debuted on the scene in late 92 as an unstopable monster. He steamrolled through the competion all the way through the rumble winning a title shot at Wrestlemania 9. He got the belt, lost it to Hogan 5 minutes later, then held it for nearly a year after getting it back a few months later. For those who dont remember, Yoko was pretty good. He certainly wasnt going to go the distance, but for 10 or 15 minutes he was a great unstopable monster. While champion he was in the main event in a high profile feud at every ppv. After losing the belt at Wrestlemania 10, he had one more main event with Taker just to clear up some loose ends. After that he wallowed in the midcard for two years before being relased. He had one main problem. He literly gained 200 pounds! He went from 500 to 700 pounds in three years. That has to be an all time record in pro wrestling. His health was so bad that the were afraid he would literly die of a heart attack in the middle of the ring. Sadley he died in 1999.

The Great Khali: Khali debuted in 2006 and is easily one of the top 3 biggest superstars of all time. At 7'3'' and 450 pounds with huge muscle definition, he was a promotors dream come true. He feuded with Undertaker on his debut. Cant get much more of a push than that. A year later he won his only world title on Smackdown. He had a few main event feuds before loosing his title a few months later. Khali's major problems were simple: he was the worst talker of all time and easily one of the worst in ring competators ever. Taking all that into consideration, he was still one of the most visually impressive superstars to ever watch. Unfortuantly for Khali, he is about at far as possible from ever being a champion again, and is only kept on due to his insane popularity in India.

So, out of these two monster champions, who had the greater fall from grace? Who went from the top of the world to the bottom of the pile the hardest?

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

Actually neither are really fails. Yokozuna was one of the best big men in the history of the business in terms of in ring work, and as you said main evented a WrestleMania. I don't see how that's a fail.

Khali is there to draw from India's huge population, which is the only reason he's still there. Sure he's utter shit in the ring, but he's not there to be a technical marvel. He's there because of the Indian market.

Sure both went down the card later in their careers, but that doesn't make them a fail. So really, neither fail at what they're supposed to be.

 

[mulkeymania]

i would have to go with yokozuna just on the fact that he did headline wrestlemanias and seemed to be on top longer compared to khali who IMO was never "on top" even though feuding with taker and batista so his fall couldnt have been as far.

 

[Wolfdemon]

Interesting post. I like the thread series keep them up.

I would have to say that Khali fell into obscurity a lot quicker and in a worse way than Yokozuna. Khali had it all going for him until they dropped the ball with him. He could have been a dominate heel still today. There are two main reasons why Khali fell down so hard so fast.

First is the fact that he's never really had a good match. Given the credit that his English is broken at best it probably is pretty hard for him to plan out a lot of spots in a match. Yes the guy has been world champ and main evented a few cards in the past but he never really had a match that you can remember. That's where Yoko has the advantage. Yoko has had fantastic matches with Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan, and Jim Duggan just to name a few over guys back in the day.

The second problem that led Khali into obscurity is Ranjin Singh. The guy is so boring on the mic. I have no problem with a dominate monster heel having a translator but this guy is seriously awful. He has cheap heat at the most. Khali's career would have been a lot better without Singh or with a manager that knows how to work up a crowd.

 

[The Idiot]

What do you consider failure, TS? Just because somebody doesn't have a Hall of Fame career that lasts 15-20 years doesn't automatically make them a failure.

Yokozuna was widely recognized as one of the best big men of all time. He was a household name at the time and played the perfect heel (with the help of Mr. Fuji). Like the other posters said...main eventing a Wrestlemania isn't exactly failing.

As for the Great Khali...sure they gave him the strap but he never really did anything from it. He might have a big following in India but he'll never be in the conversation of the best big men of all time.

So to answer your question...Yokozuna had the biggest fall. The higher you're up the harder you fall. It's a shame he was thrown in the midcard after he lost his title...although his feud with the Undertaker was legendary. Once they threw him into a tag team with Owen that was the beginning of the end.

RIP to a true legend of the sport and one of the best big men of all time.

 

[tjfjr4488]

i would say khali with out question!! he won the world title idk why and idk why he had it for as long as he did...when u look a yoko he had a much better career and was more dominant imo he was 2 time wwe champ and won a few tag titles with owen hart and was a main event most of career.

 

[Tech N9ne]

For those of you arguing with the OP. It does not say Fail, it says FALL!

Which makes his post 100% on point. Both men "FELL" out of Main Event Status and got very far away from their original gimmicks as unstoppable monsters.

Anyway, I would have to go with Yokozuna. He was a 2 time World Champ and was basically on top. He only lost a couple matches his first year or 2.

Khali only won the title because of injuries to other wrestlers. Yokozuna took the title of Bret Hart and kept it away from him for a year, in his prime no less. Even though he lost the title minutes later to Hogan, he took it back soon after. So 2 Title reigns and they consisted of beating Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan.

Yokozuna also beat Lex Luger at Wrestlemania. He formed a team with Owen and though he never won another World Title, he remained pretty relevant while they teamed and won tag team gold.

Then, BAM! He started jobbing and was released, then he died. I'd say that is not only a horrible fall from grace, but tragic!

Khali was never as good as Yokozuna and he never will be. Yokozuna was at a far bigger level than Khali. So he definitely had further to fall. Plus, Khali is still employed with WWE so he probably wouldn't have any complaints, as he is receiving a pay check for something he isn't even good at!!

Biggest fall? Yokozuna by far!

 

[JJ15776]

Crooked, read the OP again. I quote: "...some horrible failures (Yokozuna, Great Khali)." Failures. Yokozuna was far from a failure, and Khali wasn't really a failure either. Giant Gonzalez is a failure.

As far as biggest fall, since Yokozuna was a lot higher, he clearly fell a lot more. But on the other side, Khali fell a lot faster. Yokozuna spent a lot of time (compared to Khali) in the midcard in quality fueds and putting other guys over, and if he had ever gotten his weight back down, they would've brought him back. Khali went from holding the title to comedic relief, basically.

 

[MisterRob]

Easily the Great Khali fell faster. Khali barely lasted any time at all as a serious main eventer. His reign was short, and his time in the main event was just as short, before he fizzled and faded to far lower on the card. Now he's just kind of around. Yokozuna spent years in the main event as a serious competitor and champion. Sure personal issues made him fall from that level, but he was there for far longer and in a far greater way then Khali ever was. I don't even think this is debatable, really. And Yokozuna definitely can't be labeled a failure, he was one of the best and most dominant heel monsters in wrestling, he was champion, and he even had a successful tag team with Owen Hart for a very good length of time.

 

[Tougie]

The bigger fall had to be Yokozuna. The man came from the greatest wrestling family the biz has ever known and achieved so much success, only to lose it due to a personal battle. Yoko's fall was a steady decline. Going from World Champion, taking an instant hit by losing to Hogan minutes after winning it, regaining the belt, then losing it to Hart at Wrestlemania X. Thats when the decline started, over the next two years he fell until his release. But a tag title run with Owen Hart helped him out.

Khali, no talent to begin with. Nothing to live up to. Just won the belt because of his size, then once Taker "overcame the odds", then Batista and Cena "defeated the giant" there was nothing left to do except quickly decline to doing nothing. Khali's fall was faster, but with the reputation, his family's legacy and the fact and was a good talent behind him, only to lose it all because of a cheeseburger is without a doubt the bigger fall.

 

[Big Sexy]

It's Khali and it's not even close. He came in as a monster, had one short title run, and then became a comedy low card guy. Yoko was a two time world champion and held the title for nearly a year. Once he lost it he was still fairly dominant and had a nice tag title run. Then he turned face and had a brief feud with another main event guy in Vader and THEN he became a low card guy. Yoko's fall was much more gradual, Khali went from champion to shit in a very short amount of time.

 

[AmericanDragonSW]

Khali never struck me as big because even as a world champ, he's painful to watch in the ring. Yokozuna I would say only because it was somewhat tragic loss. I mean it was pointed out earlier that the guy went from 505 lbs to 700+ lbs. And I'm pretty sure when he had the match with Austin, and the rope broke, I don't think that was supposed to happen. the last match I remembered with him was where he was part of a team in Survivor Series. He tried to do his traditional chokeslam like move on a guy, barely was able to lift him. And I think they even said he was 800 lbs. I'd have to say of the two, that it's Yoko because of the loss of him

 

[mayankeagle]

First of all, it is unfair to list Undertaker in this page and say that Vince found him as a replacement for Andre. That is so untrue. Taker has surpassed Andre in both respect and in-ring performance, and he is at a level where no other superstar has reached.

Secondly, Yokozuna was not a fail at all. He was a credible wrestler for his size, and he has put decent matches with Bret Hart and Taker. You could believe him as a main-eventer in Wrestlemania.

Third, the guy who said that Khali is required for drawing in the Indian crowd - that is completely untrue. I'm from India and have watched WWF/ WWE since 1990. Wrestling was always very popular here - the likes of Hogan, Flair, Taker, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold, Rock, Goldberg, Kane, Lesnar, Angle have been immensely popular here in the past and continue to be (so are the current main-eventers). We never needed and even now we don't need a Khali in the WWE to watch the programme.

 

[Uncle Phatso]

I think really the wild card in this thread is the manager. Khali is not ment to be some monster ring worker, He's suppost to be a monster. Thats what he did, and played it well, but when your that big your destined to have major problems. Sight his knee problems, thats a shit ton of weight for a huge tall wrestler to have on his knees all the time.

His manager is a turd, he can't talk so we give him the most boring person we can find? Thats what makes a monster, give him a mouthpeace. Look at abyss, he's not that great in the ring or on the stick. But james mitchell is one of thoes guys that you just love to hate. Did Khali have one of the best managers? No, but he played his role to what he could.

Yoko on the other hand had Mr. Fiji. Honestly one of the best managers of all time. He was a frickin slimeball that just oozed hate onto the screen. Thats what made yoko, I'm sure no one wanted to see a giant sumo dude wrestling all the time. But he was rather good in the ring for a big man. Yoko came in raised hell, got a couple titles. What we remember him for is Mr. Fiji though.

So really Khali is just to a big of a draw for Vince to let go. Untill he finds someone else to fill Khali's shoes in India we will see him around for a while. To answer your question, Khali. Yoko after winning the titles and loseing them didn't go around being a comedy act. He just left, Khali is still in the Wwe. But really dosen't do anything.

 

[TUFFY54]

Thanks for all the great posts guys. There's been a little contorversy I want to clear up. When I said that Khali and Yoko were huge failures, I wasn't trying to disrespect either of them. Yoko was a great heel champion who had a great, but short, career. Khali wasnt as succsusful, but also had a nice run.

When the WWE decides to put the belt on someone they are making a huge investment in the long term. Its the ultimate stamp of approval a wrestler can get. Being a former world champion means that you can be called upon to be a main event competator again in the event of and injury or storyline change. That is why guys like the Big Show and JBL before he retired were good champions. If needed, they could be written into a feud with a champion on short notice and no one would think it was weird. Its the same reason Kane had a one day run. He was always going into his feuds as the former champion, making it seem possible he could win again.

Now everyone everntually gets older, but these two burned out way to fast. At the age they were when they got the titles, they should have been main event superstars for much longer. Yokozuna was 26 years old when he got the title. By the time he was 29 he got released for being a health risk. He ate his way out of a career at an age when he was still younger than almost every single main eventer in the WWE today. As much as I loved to watch him wrestler, that most certainly can be considered failing in the WWE.

 

[klunderbunker]

How are either of these guys to be considered failures?

Yoko is the best evil foreign heel of all time, having four world title matches at Mania. He was unstoppable for the better part of a year in between 93 and 94. How in the world could he be seen as a failure?

Khali is far from one either, having destroyed Taker for a good while, beaten Cena on SNME and winning the world title which he held for a few months. He's certainly not a failure either as I have a hard time believing any legit world champion could be seen as a failure.

The choices here are rather odd indeed and I don't get them at all. If you had to pick one I'd guess Khali but not by much at all. Neither of them are failures and I really don't understand the argument for either of them.

 

[TUFFY54]

Let me try to clear this up again. I didn't mean failures in the sense that they never did anything in their careers. There failure came in how quickly they were out of the main event seen. Yes, Yokozuna was the greatest heel of the early 90's, but two years after he lost the belt people would of laughed if he was main eventing a pay per view. A guy like Yokozuna should have been invloved in major feuds and main event matches for at least 5 years longer than he was. The same could be said with Khali. He was a total monster when he won the belt. A year after he lost it he was feuding with Hornswaggle. Unless he had a major overhaul, nobody could see him main eventing a pay per view today. In that sense, they have both had a major fall from grace.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I would say that The Great Khali fell faster and harder than Yokozuna. At least with Yokozuna he was one of the top guys for a while. Khali was built up at first to be one of the biggest monster heels in years, only to get fed to Cena during his year long title reign. Khali went on to win his one and only world title on Smackdown shortly afterward, then lost to Batista and basically just kept falling further and further down the card after that. A former monster heel World Champion reduced to being the Punjabi Playboy in those awful Khali Kiss Cam segments? Khali had the bigger fall and it's not even close because Yokozuna could still be taken seriously in the end.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Neither man can be entirely classed as a failure, as both have been World Champion, but Yoko was obviously alot more "over" with the fans that Khali.

I would go with Khali as having had the faster fall, as Yoko mainevented for alot longer, and held the top belt on more than one occasion, and also was a tag team champion. Yes, he didnt have a long career, due to ridiculous weight issues, but he lasted longer as a top guy than Khali. Hell even as the champ, Khali was never considered a "top guy", and as soon as his reign was over (and mercifully it was short), he has never been seen at the top of the card again, barring a very few exceptions.

If Khali wasnt worth so much money due to his popularity in India, he would more than likely have been released within a year of holding the title, as he absolutely sucks in the ring, although as a comedy character he is over now. So yeah, while Yoko ended up in the mid-card later in his career, he didnt fall as fast as Khali.

Khali isnt even on this years SDvsRaw 2011 game, which means he is waaaay below the radar in WWE. When you are left off a roster of 70 odd wrestlers, and guys like Vance Archer are getting on the game, you know you are dropping fast!

 

[Chardee Macdennis]

It's Khali and it's not even close. He came in as a monster, had one short title run, and then became a comedy low card guy. Yoko was a two time world champion and held the title for nearly a year. Once he lost it he was still fairly dominant and had a nice tag title run. Then he turned face and had a brief feud with another main event guy in Vader and THEN he became a low card guy. Yoko's fall was much more gradual, Khali went from champion to shit in a very short amount of time.

I could NOT agree more. I wouldn't consider either of the two failures, but Khali certainly fell harder, further and faster. Yoko was THE monster heel for at least a couple of years. He fueded with the likes of Hogan, Taker and Hitman as well as others. Yoko's first casket match with Taker was one of my favorite set up matches of all time. He and Taker had promos on EVERY show, EVERY week. Plus, the match itself ended with just about every heel coming to Yoko's rescue. Khali had only one memorable fued with another ME'er and that was Taker. Even that was short lived. I wouln't call Khali a failure, but to put him in the same league as Yoko is insane!