PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – “The Great Khali” is one of the most recognizable stars in the WWE.

He’s known for punishing his opponents in the ring, but now he’s taking a break to recover from a surgery he had in Pittsburgh.

His massive size has earned him celebrity status around the world. Dalip Singh or “The Great Khali” is a WWE standout. He’s also made his mark in Hollywood having appearing in movies such as “The Longest Yard.”

If he doesn’t look large to you on the big screen, this may put things in perspective.

“He is 7-feet-2-inches tall, 350 pounds,” his wife, Harpinder Singh, said.

It’s that stature that brought Singh and his wife to Pittsburgh.

About a year ago, doctors discovered a benign tumor on Singh’s pituitary gland, which is a tiny gland at the base of the brain that produces growth hormone.

“The tumor is called a growth hormone secreting tumor and what it does it produces an excessive amount of growth hormone and when that occurs, the body becomes much larger, the organs become larger, the bones become larger,” Dr. Joseph Maroon said.

The tumor explains Singh’s size and although he was feeling just fine now eventually, he could have developed cardiovascular and other serious health issues.

Singh decided to have the tumor removed by Dr. Maroon with UPMC.

“This was a procedure in which we go through the nose an endoscopic microsurgical way to remove the tumor that’s at the very base of the skull in the brain,” Dr. Maroon said.

Singh knew Dr. Maroon because he is also the medical director for the WWE.

“They removed his tumor and everything is okay now. He is safe now,” Harpinder Singh, said.

The surgery went flawlessly and Singh and wife plan to return to their home in Texas later this week.

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