J Harper
10-01-2005, 09:23 PM
Back when I use to watch wrestling regularly, my favorite wrestler was Dean Malenko. Goddamn, was he fun to watch. His all-business, shooter persona was refreshing to me, and his technical expertise awed me. He became my favorite wrestler during Halloween Havok '96, when he had his incredible match with Rey Mysterio Jr. for the WCW Cruiserweight chapionship. I wish I had the foresight to tape it, but I do remember distinctly, after a great back and forth contest, him defeating Rey with a off the top rope power bomb. His series with Ultmo Dragon the next year were almost as good, maybe even better. Malenko's presence, IMHO, was perhaps the driving reason why the Cruiserweight division was so damn hot. A shame the relentless NWO nonsense ended up burying something so fine. I also know that a lot of people say that Malenko's good friend (best friend? I remember hearing that) Chris Benoit was the best technical wrestler active at that time, but I stand firm in my belief that no one was better at the technical aspects of the game than Dean Malenko. And anyone who says Malenko couldn't get a crowd hot obviously never saw his matches at Starcade and Clash of the Champions against Ultimo Dragon, when he had several rows up on their feet cheering for him, or the classic with Mysterio when the crowd was popping left and right, and definitely not just for Rey.
Hmmmm... Gone off on a tangent here. Sorry about that. :o
Anyhow, I heard that Malenko, after not really being used that much by the WWE, retired from active wrestling and became a road agent for 'em. Is that true, or is he wrestling again, either over in Japan or for an indy? I'd like to know.
Cheers,
Jeremy Harper
Hmmmm... Gone off on a tangent here. Sorry about that. :o
Anyhow, I heard that Malenko, after not really being used that much by the WWE, retired from active wrestling and became a road agent for 'em. Is that true, or is he wrestling again, either over in Japan or for an indy? I'd like to know.
Cheers,
Jeremy Harper