Missing Mania: The Great Khali is a big deal in India

The Great Khali is a big deal in India
by Kev Kellam


Now the Great Khali is no technical master in the ring. You are never going to see a "five star clasic" from this monster of a man. Plus he's not much of the dream boat, that WWE sarcastically props him up to be. And he's far from the charismatic showman needed, to talk fans into a match. Hell, this giant can't even speak any language let alone English. If you got your pet dog in front of your TV during an episode of Friday Night Smackdown when the Great Khali is on the mic, your dog would have better chance than you, of understanding what it is Khali's actually saying. His mutton-chopped manager with the bedazzled velvet coats is not helping either. His monstrous body and menacing look are what keep him employed with WWE. He's just big, really abnormally big. To be blunt, The "Punjabi Playboy" circus act is just tired and unfunny, and is not something fitting the grandest stage in all of pro wrestling, Wrestlemania.

So why am I making note of his absence on a show no suspects Khali to be on to begin with?

Khali is a massive attraction in his native land of India, one of WWE's biggest foreign TV markets right now. It probably still sounds debatable that Khali would be seen as a pay per view draw anywhere in the world but WWE's Stephanie Macmahon was quoted in the Wall Street Journal recently, praising Khali's drawing power in his homeland. She went so far, as to say “He’s like a god over there”. Macmahon is being honest too. If you don't believe her, check out this worship from Khali's countrymen:

"This 36-year old Indian giant has already proved his caliber in the world arena, but this is not the end — it is just the beginning for this Indian legend!" - Merinews.com (an Indian pop culture news site, read the whole article here)

So money making logic leads one to believe, the Great Khali should just be crammed into the Mania card to make some money in Mumbai right? Currently there is no place for the Indian Giant on this year's Mania at this point in time, but it could be a real stunt to see Khali try climb a ladder in the Money in the Bank match. But that does not seem likely as WWE has made no mention in the past few weeks of adding another wrestler to the already crowded match which currently has 9 wrestlers seeking to win the briefcase with a guaranteed World title shot.

Khali could possibly be tethered to an autograph table during the week long Mania festivities, scribbling his name on 8x10 photos with a Sharpie, like a lot of WWE superstars. Hopefully, that is the closest the Great Khali gets to any wrestling ring in Phoenix.

Missing Mania: Marc Henry is not strong enough for WWE's Biggest show

Marc Henry is not strong enough for WWE's biggest show
by Kev Kellam


"The World's Strongest Man " Marc Henry has been with the WWE for a long time. Henry signed a ten year deal with the company in 1997. So just by looking at the length of his run in the biggest wrestling company in the world, you would think Henry would have a couple notable performances on the biggest show in wrestling, Wrestlemania. Well, that is not exactly the case with the Olympic power lifter from Silsbee,Texas.

Henry has had one memorable match on a Wrestlemania show, and that was losing to the Undertaker in a mediocre Casket Match in 2006. During the build up to that match, there was not single fan watching who felt Marc Henry was going to beat the most cherished winning streak in professional wrestling. This was Henry simply being added to the long list of the 17 foes defeated by the Undertaker in his long running Wrestlemania streak.

The highlight of the match was Undertaker's daredevil over the ropes, past the casket, and a crash into the tank-like body of Henry. Many fans have that same distinct memory of the match, but does anyone remember anything that Henry did that match? Not really. The last thing anyone remembers about that match was the Undertaker standing victorious over another giant stuffed into an over sized casket.

During his time in the WWE ,Wrestling fans have long dissed Henry's in-ring work as "limited". Henry's hulking frame has never really lent itself well to up-tempo action.Plus his long list of injuries have put him on the DL for a good chunk of his wrestling career. But even through torn quadriceps, busted knee caps, and unfunny storylines which had him dating elderly women, Marc Henry is still with the WWE. In the past few years, he has stayed relatively free of injury, improved his physical performance, and in 2008, he captured the ECW Championship.

So far that title win must be considered Henry's biggest pro wrestling achievement. Though in retrospect, that achievement lost it's luster slightly when ECW was put out to pasture in February. Henry has been on the RAW brand for almost a year now, and has really just lingered at the top of the mid card level with recent tag partner, MVP.

This tag team recently had a run against the Unified Tag Team Champions, The Miz and Big Show. Henry and MVP were not successful. And after only one pay per view match between the two teams, the feud was brushed aside as The Miz gained a prominent "pro" mentor role on the new WWE series, NXT and MVP won a spot in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. The tag team pairing with the more charismatic MVP was Henry's best chance at making it onto Mania 26, and it is now gone.

Marc Henry is like every other wrestler on the WWE roster, they all want a great "Mania Moment", but Henry simply has not had that moment it yet. The bigger question remains, will he ever have that moment?