Truth Behind The Great Khali Killing Someone

The Great Khali. [Image credits: wwe.com]
The Great Khali. [Image credits: wwe.com]

David Otunga recently caused a stir by bringing up The Great Khali during an interview. Talking to TMZ Sports, he said he once intentionally sabotaged a move by Khali because he was afraid it would end badly for him.

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Otunga claimed that Khali's two-handed choke slam killed somebody in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), which made him fearful of taking the move in the ring. Hence, he made it difficult for the Hall of Famer to carry out the move.

However, veteran Jim Cornette refuted Otunga's claim of Khali killing someone in OVW. In a post on X, the veteran said that no one was ever killed in OVW and that Khali was never part of the promotion, which served as a developmental territory for WWE during the 2000s.

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"Wrong wrestling school by about 2300 miles, dipshit. Nobody was ever killed, paralyzed, or allowed to dive off balconies in OVW, and the Great Khali nor any other lesser Khali ever attended OVW. @TMZ needs to factcheck their programming," he wrote.

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Cornette was the co-owner, head booker, and head trainer of OVW from 1999 to 2005. While no such incident happened in OVW, Khali was involved in an accident in the ring that took the life of pro wrestling prospect Brian Ong.

Brian and The Great Khali were part of the boot camp of California-based All-Pro Wrestling (APW) in 2001. Both stars were training at the boot camp when tragedy struck.

While practising a spine buster, Brian Ong grabbed Khali’s shirt, and his tailbone landed first, with his head hitting violently against the mat. Ong collapsed and was then taken to the hospital, where he lost his life at the age of 27.

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Notably, APW wasn't affiliated with WWE, nor was Khali a part of the Stamford-based promotion.


The Great Khali was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame

The Great Khali made his WWE debut in 2006 on SmackDown. He feuded with the likes of The Undertaker, John Cena, and Batista during his eight-year stint in the promotion.

Khali also became the World Heavyweight Champion during this time after winning a battle royal on SmackDown for the vacant title. He also recorded a WrestleMania win against the icon Kane.

Following his WWE release in 2014, he made occasional appearances for the promotion and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021.

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Edited by Sherjeel Malik
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