Wrestling veteran MVP did not mince words regarding his former colleague The Great Khali, revealing a tense backstage interaction where he felt compelled to physically humble the former World Heavyweight Champion. Speaking on his podcast, Marking Out with MVP and Dwayne Swayze, MVP shared a story about a confrontation that occurred during a training session where he felt Khali’s ego had gotten out of control.
MVP explained that while he finds Dalip Singh (Khali’s real name) to be a “cool guy” personally, he holds a very different opinion of his in-ring ability. “The Great Khali absolutely sucks as a wrestler,” MVP stated bluntly. “I had to explain to him, you’re only the Great Khali as long as I allow you to be the Great Khali… we are bumping for you to make you the Great Khali.”
The Incident
The situation escalated one afternoon when Khali began boasting about his toughness. MVP decided to prove that the giant’s dominance was purely a product of kayfabe.
“I had to make him understand, dude, I will beat your ass. I’m not scared of you,” MVP recalled. “I did a low ankle pick… It took him 30 seconds to fall. He was so embarrassed… I’m standing over him as he’s going to get up. And I said, ‘Look how many times I could kick you in the face before you get up.'”
MVP noted that agents, including Arn Anderson, had to step in to de-escalate the situation. He used the moment to teach a broader lesson about the wrestling business: “You only as great as we allow you to be… don’t let that shit go to your head and let you think, yeah, I’m really a tough guy, because then we got real tough guys in wrestling that will make mincemeat out of your ass.”
“A B*tch To Travel With”
MVP also compared Khali unfavorably to another giant, The Big Show (Paul Wight). While he praised Big Show’s athleticism and boxing training, he described Khali as merely a “bodybuilder” who moved like the AT-AT walkers from Star Wars. He also noted that in the early days, Big Show was a difficult travel partner.
“That’s what he was, a grouchy, angry giant. Oh, man, he was a bitch to travel with,” MVP said of The Big Show. “He just got this big, 700 pound giant who’s pissed off all the time. He was always great with me, though.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Marking Out with MVP and Dwayne Swayze with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.Â
