The Indian Express recently spoke with the legendary Great Khali about a variety of subjects, including what he misses most about competing in the ring, and how he had to deal with a great amount of pressure during his run in WWE. Highlights from the former world champion’s interview can be found below.
What he misses most about being in the ring:
There are many things I miss, but what I miss the most is people cheering for me. Thousands of people cheering around you, believing in you, and going crazy for you is a godly feeling. I miss that vibe but other than that, it is pretty same. I continue to train, and now that the Covid situation has eased up a bit, we are back to training people in my academy.
Talks his mental health battles and dealing with the pressures in WWE:
When you are a part of such a global platform, it’s obvious that there is a lot of pressure and stress – in the ring as well as outside. So, I used to feel a huge pressure to perform my best when I started initially. You know, billions of people are watching you live and there is pressure to do your best. I used to sweat initially, but I slowly got used to it. I knew what my strengths are and then performed my best under pressure.
On wrestling’s popularity in India:
Wrestling is very popular in India, perhaps the Indian viewership of WWE is more than American viewership. So yes, definitely a WWE equivalent can be in India. I am working towards it and contributing towards making wrestling more feasible in India.