The Great Khali: Useful Or Not?

[Nate DaMac]

Like a lot of people, I was shocked to hear that The Great Khali won an impromptu Battle Royal tonight at Wrestlemania. I say shocked only because it has been a very long time since I can remember Khali getting any wins worth noting, so it got me thinking.

Simple question, do you think The Great Khali is still useful to the WWE today? Do you think he is worth keeping around, or would you rather just see him get his walking papers?

Personally, though I absolutely hate the poor bastard, I think he still has enough credibility to put people over. Recently, The Miz garnered a decent heat segment by basically destroying him with a chair, not to mention the things he did for Dolph Ziggler's credibility. I really do hate to see the man on TV though. He is as mobile as a cement truck and has the personality of yogurt. Just an all around uninteresting person.

Him gaining a win tonight, while it sucks, probably helps his credibility a bit though. He has to win some of his matches if he's going to put anyone over successfully.

Also, could we please not just bitch and moan about Daniel Bryan and Sheamus not being on the show? There's other places for that, let's stick to the topic at hand.

 

[jaceynightheat]

I think Khali is useful in a lot of ways. Seems to have a lot of fan support from the kids, helps over seas stuff, gives another giant for guys to go over on. I know people on here will complain that he doesn't wrestle but a man that big only really has to hit you.

I think he'd be more useful as a bad guy though.

 

[BASSER911414]

he needs a push into the main title runs. and his english has improved A LOT so i dotn really thnk he needs his 'brother' arnd to translate for him. have him beat up edge or miz. have him win the title and then give him a decent title run as well. his feuds against kane taker batista were all awesome

 

[KoC417]

I personally agree with everything you have said Noticeably F.A.T. Khali can still be used to put people over but watching him in the ring on TV is almost painful. I think his win tonight was good because it will allow him to still appear to be a credible force and make his opponents seem more credible when they get victories over him. Khali could in a way be used like Kane/Jericho were used at one point; putting the newer talent over. People see "oh he beat Khali therefore he should be slightly elevated" then they beat someone else and they appear more credible and so forth. I think if used PROPERLY, hence PROPERLY by WWE he can be a very valuable asset for another year or 2 but much more than that and it will be ridiculous.

 

[Kcirdor]

Khali brings international attention to the wwe. As long as he is popular in india he has a use in wwe.

 

[KoC417]

he needs a push into the main title runs. and his english has improved A LOT so i dotn really thnk he needs his 'brother' arnd to translate for him. have him beat up edge or miz. have him win the title and then give him a decent title run as well. his feuds against kane taker batista were all awesome

Bro...what the hell are you smoking!? Did you actually WATCH his feuds against those guys? Are you sure you didn't fall asleep and wake up at the end and DREAMED a good match? His WM match against Kane was PAINFUL! His matches against the Undertaker were only watchable because I love watching UNDERTAKER. Couldn't stand his matches against Batista...the untalented giant vs the walking steroid. Neither man can wipe their own ass, let's see if they can collectively put together a solid match. Apparently it wasn't JUST their matches that were stinking the arenas up...

 

[Nate DaMac]

I think he'd be more useful as a bad guy though.

You know, you make an interesting point. A guy like say, John Morrison could really benefit by slaying a Giant type of character, same for guys like Daniel Bryan or Kofi.

Having said that, I think he's just as valuable as a face to put over young heels. Guys like Ziggler and Miz have gotten rubs off the guy but bigger guys like Zeke and Mason Ryan could benefit from it just as well.

The only thing I would hope for if he turns heel; no fucking main event pushes. I don't want to see that experiment again.

 

[hellod245]

U know khali is immensly popular in India. As we heard in the news recently that his bodyguard has to fire shots in air to stop the public that was approaching Khali. He is that popular in India, where ever he goes thousands of people walks behind him and I think wwe realises his popularity and that is the only reason he will stay in wwe for coming 5 years.

 

[Azane]

I'd wager that Khali's Draw from India pays more than his contract, Thus he is useful.
To audiences outside of the India area? he's not worth much, but he has enough fans worldwide to merit paying him what he's making.
He also can do a face or heel turn pretty quickly, He plays both the Giant Monster, and the Teddy bear Khali Kiss Character well enough to fill gaps on either side. I could see his career playing out a lot like Mark Henry's for the rest of his days. He doesn't need to win very often to stay credible, just being his size keeps him looking like a challenge for a midcarder.
I wouldn't let him anywhere near a title... maybe Tag Team, he just doesn't have the connection with more local fans to be an interesting champion.

 

[therealblob]

I agree with most of what's been posted already. He is a big draw on the Indian sub-continent and that's probably what the WWE have first and foremost in their minds, so in that respect yes he is useful. In the ring though it's hard to find a credible storyline for him to run with. At some point he is going to need to be on the mic or do some serious in-ring work and as much as I like the guy I just feel he is too awkward with both. Maybe send him to FCW where he can work one on one with someone who will make him push himself because as much as angles and storylines are written for someone, wrestlers have to run and make storylines their own. Spend some worthwhile time on him and see what happens. Don't use him in gimmicks and meaningless skits. If it works out great, if not then at least he's not going to be another wrestler used for 5 minutes because he is a big man and then discarded when the novelty has worn off.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

the guy is a freakin Giant... something that is terribly lacking in wrestling these days... so many guys in the WWE are just average looking everyday guys who happen to wrestle... Khali still has that imposing stature that hardly anyone has.. People who are expecting him to wrestle toe to toe with kurt angle are fuckin idiots... the guy only needs a few moves and opponents should drop... And when someone does get the best of him it should be a huge deal and give them the rub.... so he is definitely useful

 

[whufc1994]

Khali is a phenomenal wrestler and athlete. The only problem is, he is the biggest ****** at being a face, and I don't see why he is a face as well. His Grease segment at WM last night was beyond queer, and he won't do much as a face either. As a heel he has succeeded in the past, he's been toe-to-toe with likes of Undertaker at main events. Maybe it's because WWE are trying to push the younger superstars, but I still feel Khali should be at least involved in a mid-card storyline.

 

[jellmoo]

Look at the man. Even if you take his gargantuan size away, the man is frickin' terrifying. Nothing about the guy says "face". This is a pure and natural heel. The problem with him is that he's incredibly hard to book. You want to use him as a dominant giant, but the man just can't wrestle. So he lingers around in lame comedy bits.

His international value is huge, so there is a great reason to keep him around. I just think that he needs to be used better. Put the man in a suit and make him a hee;'s bodyguard. Very little wrestling involved, just beatings as needed. Maybe have him protect Michael Cole (assuming he is revealed as the RAW GM).

The man has a place, but it isn't as a typical competitor. He should be something of an attraction, used in a way that masks his glaring weaknesses.

 

[deforty]

Look at the man. Even if you take his gargantuan size away, the man is frickin' terrifying. Nothing about the guy says "face". This is a pure and natural heel. The problem with him is that he's incredibly hard to book. You want to use him as a dominant giant, but the man just can't wrestle. So he lingers around in lame comedy bits.

His international value is huge, so there is a great reason to keep him around. I just think that he needs to be used better. Put the man in a suit and make him a hee;'s bodyguard. Very little wrestling involved, just beatings as needed. Maybe have him protect Michael Cole (assuming he is revealed as the RAW GM).

The man has a place, but it isn't as a typical competitor. He should be something of an attraction, used in a way that masks his glaring weaknesses.

I like this, they could make him like Big John Stud claiming that no one can body slam him in a match or something like that, I do like the idea as cole's bodyguard too. He is scary looking and a freak but he can be used, just not as a wrestler... I mean WWE superstar.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

The only way I can see how the WWE could still market The Great Khali as being 'useful' is if he regains a win/loss equivalence. Otherwise, he's just a big enhancement talent. Not only that, but it makes the entire match look unbelievable how a much smaller opponent can even defeat someone of his monstrous size every time he's on TV, minus a few DQ victories on Khali's part. Why not have The Great Khali rebuilt correctly? Drop this comedy shit and bring back the initial intimidating force that he was. I'm not saying he should start winning titles, because the man is incredibly stale, but if he could win against top tier superstars again like he did prior to winning his World Heavyweight Championship, then I can see him being somewhat useful. With that, he can be a stepping stone for future superstars that need to overcome an eventful challenge.

 

[triple_b2k]

I don't know if he has bad knees or what, but his movement is that good. he's really slow and awkward moving around.
If he could loosen up when he moves, he could be useful. another strong monster heel or face would be nice instead of this weird jobber

 

[the_mighty_biggs]

yes

I like Khali he's not the best wrestler but he's effin huge.

I would want a guy his size in my roster plus he brings lots of money just from India alone.

he's good at the comedy stuff he does now and I could still even see him as a future world champ again just cause of his size he seem's like a cool guy and his english gets better each year.

a guy his size could never be a trully great wrestler its just imposible to have khali doing a backflip atop the top rope but as huge attraction he's as big as they get.

so yes he has value

 

[Corpse_Machine]

In my eyes it looks like WWE are'nt putting much effort into the Khali charecter.

He's resorted back to the Punjabi Nightmare nickname and is still wearing his red Punjabi Playboy attire and it looks bloody stupid, hes supposed to be a monster throwing people in vice grips and taking them out and he wears tights that say PLAYBOY on the left leg. He has'nt even used that gimmick in months and its looks ******ed.

He's maybe only worth his time because hes a giant and thats most probably the only reason he still has a job with WWE, if he were to be released tomorrow he would be away to japan cause they love freaks and appreciate them more than WWE do i'd imagine.

And also if he were to get injured somehow he would undoubtedly be let go, by the way this isnt negative towards Khali, i would just like to see them put a little more effort into his charecter, after all he is billed as a nightmare and a monster.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Khali probably has giantism. He's not proportional and it looks like it hurts him to move. He's limited in his movement in the ring but he can still do what he needs to do to get over. Sort of reminds me of how Andre would work matches to hide his physical ailments later in his career.

As far as the topic of the thread. Yea, he's useful. He draws. He's big. This storyline where the rich dude is his sisters husband could be nice. I think the reason he's not as heavily involved in storylines is because he probably needs longer to recover from a match.

He doesn't "bring in a ton of money from India" just because he's Indian. The average Indian doesn't have that much money and yes there are a lot more of them, he adds exposure and more of a gateway to India. He's not featured on the show enough and they don't run shows in India enough for it to be a huge gain. It's a gateway, he's not the primary draw.

 

[Corpse_Machine]

I agree with the gigantism and that he most definetly needs more time to recover after a match and those are two thing he has to overcome on a daily basis.

But theres just no effort in his charecter, since joining with Jinder he has been putting a beat down on everybody and then he wrestles Orton and gets beat fairly easily. I understand that Orton is SD's top guy but they could have had him atleast give orton a decent enough beating to be believeable as the unstopable giant that he apparently is.

Just get the guy some new tights and let him look like he can go a little bit with a top guy.

 

[Mustang Sally]

In Vince McMahon's world, there will always be a place for a guy like Khali. His size alone makes him stand out from the crowd and just his physical presence is supposed to give us the idea that he could bust out at any time and destroy everyone in his path. On occasion, he still does. Otherwise, he puts guys over, allowing himself to be "chopped down." There's a use in all that.

It would be perfect except for those damn knees of his. Don't you feel the pain yourself watching the poor guy lumbering around the ring? I used to wonder what it was about the Frankenstein monster that looked so unusual.....and Khali made me realize it was that both of them walk without bending their knees. When Charlie Haas was doing those wrestler impersonations, all he did was walk stiff-legged and we knew he was doing Khali.

You have to wonder how long Khali can go on in this manner; watching him reminds me of Andre the Giant in his last days, barely able to move, much less wrestle.

Still, when you pair Khali with someone, he continues to serve a function......and he looks positively svelte when compared to Big Show. Why not let him keep doing what he does?

 

[Captain Morgan Freeman]

I felt Khali was useful when he started off in WWE as a novelty wrestler, despite his limitations in the ring he drew a crowd due to how different he looked.

Five years on from his debut however i feel the novelty has worn off as shown by his slide down the card.
Is he useful in a wrestling capacity?? No i dont think so as many have said before he is very limited in the ring and the further he slides down the card the harder it is for me to believe that midcard guys are realistically able to beat him.

Is he useful in a non wrestling capacity?? Indeed he is. He draws a huge amount of money from the indian market(he won Mr. India twice) and helps WWE reach a new audience in india.
Therefore he is useful to WWE as despite his awful wrestling abillity he makes them a lot of money and helps them reach new audiences. As long as he does that he will continue to be employed by Vince McMahon.