The Undertaker’s legacy shaped The Great Khali’s WWE debut in 2006

The Undertaker’s towering presence set the stage for The Great Khali’s breakout run in WWE.

On a night in 2006, The Great Khali stepped into the squared circle opposite The Undertaker at SmackDown-and the match’s booking was no accident. WWE Hall of Famer Khali told Chris Van Vliet on *Insight* that then-chairman Vince McMahon personally crafted the angle to make sure Khali looked like a true giant.

How The Undertaker helped launch The Great Khali’s career

Khali said McMahon’s plan was simple: put him in against The Undertaker to establish his size. The match aired on SmackDown in June 2006, and the visual contrast between the two was immediate. Khali, already a towering figure at 7’1”, towered over most opponents-but facing The Undertaker, a 6’10” veteran with decades of main-event credibility, made the debut unforgettable.

“Vince is really good. He’s a very hardcore businessman,” Khali said. “He never lied to me. He made me a star. Vince McMahon made me a star.”

The Undertaker’s role in Khali’s rise

The match wasn’t just a spectacle-it was a statement. Khali lost to The Undertaker, but the loss carried weight because of who he faced. That result framed Khali as a legitimate threat, not just a novelty act. The angle ran through the summer of 2006, giving Khali a national platform before he became a multi-time world champion.

Khali left WWE in 2014 when his contract expired, but his legacy from that early run endures. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021, cementing his place among the company’s all-time stars.

What Khali says about Vince McMahon now

Despite the controversies swirling around McMahon in recent years, Khali remains loyal. “So many guys say bad things about Vince McMahon. I say he’s the man,” Khali told Van Vliet. “He made me a star. I’ll never forget him.”

After leaving WWE, Khali built a second act outside the ring. He launched his own wrestling promotion in Punjab in early 2015 and has made sporadic returns to the ring, including a recent appearance at the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia in April 2018.

Khali now earns more outside WWE than he did full-time in the company. He films commercials weekly and has over 200 under his belt-proof that his star power extends far beyond the ring.

*Quotes from Khali are from “Insight with Chris Van Vliet.” Transcription courtesy of Wrestling Inc.*