Rejected WWE Ring Name Pitch For The Great Khali Revealed

WWE

In a different timeline, The Great Khali could have gone under the name evoking one of the greatest civil rights figures of all time.

Known to fans as The Great Khali, the retired WWE star has confirmed that a different name was pitched to him by Vince McMahon after he signed with the company in 2006.

Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Khali would confirm that McMahon gave him two choices, including The Great Gandhi, saying:

“Vince McMahon (gave him the name). Vince said Great Gandhi or Great Khali. I said I can choose Gandhi, but Gandhi is a peaceful guy.”

Mahatma Gandhi led the movement that would see India gain independence from British rule, delivering a future to the country’s people through acts of non-violent rebellion.

With that history, it would be difficult to imagine the Great Gandhi in a Punjabi Prison match, facing Batista at No Mercy in 2007.

Khali, last seen in action at the Greatest Royal Rumble in 2018, currently lives in India. Giving an insight into what keeps him busy, he told Van Vliet:

“I do property business, real estate, and shoot commercials.”

Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2021, Khali is a former World Heavyweight Champion.

What’s In A Name?

Whether it be Kane/Cain The Undertaker or Darby Doll, not every name brought into the world sticks around when it comes to WWE stars.

Darby Doll was one of the names that Tiffany Stratton wished she had suggested, while Kane The Undertaker was a WWE suggestion that would be briefly used before being shortened to the more familiar term, and a brother later spawned from those ashes.

In some cases, stars are presented with lists of names and get to pick one. In others, they have input into what names they could potentially become known as.

It’s easy to mock some of the names that stars go under, even if it is a decision between WWE and the talent in question, and there are certainly arguments to be made that a star such as Thunder Justice Keck would be just as successful had he gone by his real name over Shiloh Hill.

That said, for all the naysayers, names often land. After all, The Rock and Edge both sound rather odd when heard for the first time, yet both stars went on to legendary careers carrying those monikers to great heights.

For some, a name can be abandoned due to unconsidered considerations, with WALTER seemingly set to become Gunther Stark until fans pointed out an undesirable association, giving us the star we know simply as GUNTHER today.

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• Gandhi
• wwe
• Vince McMahon
• great khali

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