Add as a preferred source on Google The Great Khali has made his in-ring retirement official. Appearing on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, the WWE Hall of Famer confirmed he has retired from in-ring competition, though he left the door open for a possible one-off appearance at a future WWE event, pointing to the Royal Rumble as an example.
Asked about the end of his career, Khali was clear, but explained what any possible return would look like. It would be limited to a one- or two-day commitment, not a full-time run.
“Yeah, I retired,” The Great Khali said. “Never know but I don’t want to go. Maybe WWE asking ‘will you come one day?’ then I can go. But just one, two day….not full time. Never. I because my bad knee so I can’t go full time.”
Khali said the decision comes down to the condition of his knees, an issue he has been dealing with for years. He has delayed knee replacement surgeries, which have taken a back seat for now because of his busy schedule.
“I just want to take a break a little bit then I want to (get) surgery but I’m just every day busy, busy, busy. First I want to first do one then maybe later maybe you know.”
Khali said the pain is not constant, but comes up in specific everyday situations, such as taking the stairs or standing for long periods.
“I’m sitting in no pain. But when I especially take the stairs there’s pain, and when I stand for a long time, there’s pain. Otherwise, I’m fine. This is okay. I can do exercise, I can do anything, only when I walk and take stairs, there is pain.”
Khali made his WWE debut on the April 7, 2006 episode of SmackDown, attacking The Undertaker during his match against Mark Henry. He captured the World Heavyweight Championship on July 17, 2007, last eliminating Kane and Batista in a 20-man Battle Royal for the vacant title.
His WWE contract expired in November 2014, closing out an eight-year run with the company. Since then, Khali has made only sporadic appearances, including his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021. His final WWE match took place in the 2018 Greatest Royal Rumble, the 50-man match won by Braun Strowman, which also marked Chris Jericho’s final WWE match before he signed with AEW.
Now 53, billed at 7-foot-1 and 347 pounds, Khali continues to run his own promotion in India, Continental Wrestling Entertainment.