Kurt Angle finally opens up on his backstage relationship with The Great Khali
The Great Khali recently went into the WWE Hall of Fame, and WWE's decision to confer the honor upon the oft-criticized wrestler was met with polarizing reactions.
While many fans understood the idea behind Khali's induction, others didn't see the merit in the move.
Kurt Angle recently weighed in with his thoughts about the Indian star on the latest edition of The Kurt Angle Show podcast on AdFreeShows.com.
Co-host Conrad Thompson asked Angle about his backstage relationship with Khali, and the Olympic hero admitted to not knowing the seven-foot star that well when they worked together in WWE.
Angle did not frequently interact with Khali behind the scenes as the Indian wrestler was a man of few words. Of course, the language barrier was an issue, but Angle recalled Khali being a quiet person with excellent manners.
They were pushing him because of the Indian market: Kurt Angle
Angle called The Great Khali a gentle giant and explained the reason behind WWE pushing him.
When the company realized the potential to expand its business in the Asian market, a homegrown star had to be aggressively featured to pander to the Indian fanbase. The Great Khali was WWE's big answer to unlocking the Indian subcontinent.
"I didn't know him that well. I didn't talk to him much. He didn't speak that much. He was very quiet. Very big man, very gentle. A gentle giant. Very nice just had great manners and just was a really nice guy. I just think that they brought him in because they were promoting for India; you know, they were trying to get a market in India to be a hot market for wrestling, which it already was. But to have one of their own involved in the WWE was just a brilliant idea, and that's I think the reason why they started with Khali and Great Khali and the reason why he had a lot of success in WWE is because they were pushing him because of the Indian market," Angle said.
In the eyes of WWE officials, The Great Khali did enough to warrant a Hall of Fame induction as the former world heavyweight champion helped increase pro wrestling's reach in India.
The Great Khali continues to be actively involved in professional wrestling as he grooms the next generation of Indian talent at his school, Continental Wrestling Entertainment (CWE).
What are your honest views on The Great Khali and his professional wrestling career? Sound off in the comments section below.
If any quotes are used from this article, please credit The Kurt Angle Show and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling.