source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
-- BBC News out of the U.K. has an article on The Great Khali today, which you can read at this link. Khali claims that he lives a modest lifestyle, and that he can't afford a customized car. "I have no fancy villa or cars," he said. "I live in a simple home and do not have the money to order a customized car that would fit my size." Khali believes that Americans had a hard time with his character at first. "Americans could not imagine someone from India in WWE," Khali said. "They are now actually having a lot of fun." Khali also reveals some of the ring names that were pitched to him prior to his WWE debut in April 2006. Khali himself proposed the name 'Big Bhima', which he got from an Indian movie. The names 'Giant Singh' and 'Lord Shiva' were also discussed, but ultimately rejected due to concerns that they would offend Indians. Khali ended up taking his name from Kali, an Indian goddess with destructive powers.
-- Regarding Michael Hayes' relationship with Dave Kapoor a.k.a Ranjin Singh, while he'd often refer to him (and The Great Khali) with a racial slur when he wasn't around, he wasn't shy about doing it in his presence during booking meetings either. "The worst part is that Dave would be there to take the abuse and he was intimidated and almost paralyzed by the comments," one source said. "He'd try and smile to deflect, but you could see it impacted him. Hayes would also do a stereotype Indian dialect, mocking Dave, who doesn't have an Indian dialect at all." A number of people confirmed these stories on Hayes' using this terminology in reference to Kapoor, but it was split on whether it came off as bad as it reads. Some say it was clearly not said in a biting manner, and that Hayes was simply joking around. Additionally, Hayes' racials slurs towards people of Indian descent weren't only limited to Kapoor and The Great Khali. A few years ago, a professor from George Washington University by the name of Dr. Ranjan Chhibber worked on the creative team. Hayes routinely referred to him with a racial slur as well. Also, Kapoor's ring name, Ranjin Singh, is a spoof on Chhibber, who has long since parted ways with the company, but apparently still has some enemies within WWE.
-- With no television at the moment in Florida Championship Wrestling, former Derby City Wrestling announcer Timothy Baltimore's new job is to get house shows booked for the WWE developmental promotion.