Wrestling World Shocked by False Death Allegation Against Great Khali
The wrestling community was recently rocked by sensational claims made by David Otunga during his appearance on TMZ's Inside The Ring. The former WWE superstar alleged that Indian wrestling giant The Great Khali was responsible for someone's death while using one of his finishing moves during his time at OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling).
Jim Cornette's Furious Response to False Claims
Jim Cornette, who served as co-owner, head booker, and head trainer of OVW from 1999 to 2005, immediately took to social media to refute these allegations. In a blistering response on his X account, Cornette completely dismantled Otunga's story, stating that Khali never even attended OVW.
Cornette's tweet read: "Wrong wrestling school by about 2300 miles, dipshit. Nobody was ever killed, paralyzed, or allowed to dive off balconies in OVW, and the Great Khali nor any other lesser Khali ever attended OVW. @TMZ needs to factcheck their programming."
The Real Tragedy: 2001 APW Boot Camp Incident
While the OVW claims were completely false, there is a tragic real-life incident from 2001 that David Otunga likely confused in his recollection. The actual event occurred at the APW Boot Camp in California, where The Great Khali was training before his professional wrestling debut.
The unfortunate incident involved Brian Ong, an aspiring pro wrestler and former amateur wrestler, who tragically lost his life during a training session with Khali. According to reports, Khali wanted to practice the spinebuster move, and Ong was his training partner.
Susan Goldsmith described the tragic sequence of events in 2004: "On the second attempt, he grabbed Khali's shirt again. This time, his tailbone hit first, and his head whipped back violently against the mat. He didn't get up. Instead, he turned over, said he was dizzy, and began to moan."
APW's trainer Vince Principato recalled the heartbreaking aftermath: "Nobody thought, 'Oh, this guy is in really bad shape...' Brian tried to crawl out of the ring but managed only to get up on all fours, vomit, and then collapse... Someone at the gym called 911, and paramedics carted the unconscious wrestler off to St. Rose Hospital in Hayward, where he was pronounced dead on arrival."
David Otunga's Confusion and Wrestling Community Reaction
David Otunga's confusion appears to stem from his own experience trying to avoid Khali's signature double-handed chokeslam finisher. Otunga claimed he managed to escape the move with help from his agent, Aaron Anderson, but mixed up the details of the actual tragedy that occurred years earlier.
The wrestling community has expressed outrage at TMZ for publishing the story without proper fact-checking. Many have praised Jim Cornette for quickly setting the record straight and preventing the spread of false information about The Great Khali's career.
This incident highlights the importance of verifying facts before publishing sensational claims, especially when dealing with serious allegations and real human tragedies that affected multiple families and careers in the wrestling world.
