Lately fans of professional wrestling in India have been missing The Great Khali in action. Even when Pro-Wrestling League came into fray he was nowhere to be seen. His detractors in the ring and outside might have come to erroneous conclusion that he has gone into hibernation. But a week ago he suddenly emerged in the Capital to announce a piece of news which has been close to his heart.
Explaining the long delay, Khali, who has now fulfilled his long cherished dream to launch his academy Continental Wrestling Entertainment (CWE) in Jalandhar, says, “I know my fans have been waiting for me. Rather than make money by using my celebrity status to enter different avenues, I was planning and meeting right minded people so that I could serve my countrymen, especially youngsters, who are keen to follow my path. As soon as I got exposed to the world of wrestling, I realised that our youth has the potential to compete. The only thing the youth requires is someone to guide them. And when I became a wrestler of international stature I began thinking how I could help them. Finally I am doing it now and God willing I will continue as much help as I can,” says the over seven foot tall wrestler, whose real name is Dalip Singh Rana.
Sharing his difficulties in the run-up to becoming a force to reckon with in the World Wrestling Entertainment, Khali says, “When I was struggling to get recognition as a wrestler I faced innumerable hardships. I even slept on the ring itself after finishing my practice. Those days I did not have a house to live. Since I had no source of income my Indian friends advised me to find alternative work. But I was single minded in my goal and made up for the lack of basic facilities by practising on the mat for long hours.”
What bothers him is that today wrestling is lagging behind other sports in India. “When I was in the United States, I even invited my contemporaries to come to India. But they excused themselves by citing health reasons or complaining of lack of entertainment shows catering to wrestling. But now things have started changing for the better and we are now ready to witness international wrestling of our own,” says Khali.
He now wants young lads desirous of making a career in this highly demanding sport by providing them all facilities like proper diet, infrastructure, tips on how to tackle opponents.
Apart from serving wrestlers as an academy, CWE will host a special India focussed pro-wrestling talent event which is going to be kick-started in February next year. His focus is not only around Punjab but other States as well. In fact, Uttarakhand has agreed to host the first edition of his event.
