Dean Malenko's time in the WWF as an active wrestler

[Guest Damn You Helmsley]

Malenko's great but did he ever do anything of much note during his time as a wrestler in the company? I suppose I should say: was he ever given beyond five minutes to do anything of much note? Obviously the jump to WCW was a fairly big deal but afterwards Malenko pretty much disappeared until he retired and became a road manager (?) Any hidden gems I was unfortunate enough to have missed out on?

[Hawk 34 0]

Malenko's great but did he ever do anything of much note during his time as a wrestler in the company? I suppose I should say: was he ever given beyond five minutes to do anything of much note? Obviously the jump to WCW was a fairly big deal but afterwards Malenko pretty much disappeared until he retired and became a road manager (?) Any hidden gems I was unfortunate enough to have missed out on?

 

His match with S2H in 2000 was probably his only great singles match in WWE, but he had a hand in a few good/great six/eight man tags in 2000 with the other Radicalz. He had a pretty good storyline with Lita and the Hardyz but it was cut short due to either his injury or Lita's injury (although, I think it was the former). I don't recall him working after that was aborted.

 

He was talked about working a match with Eddie at the ONS show but declined because his wife was expecting and is rumored to be mulling a return against Benoit for an Eddie Tribute match at ONS2.

[haVoc 0]

I remember marking out when he put the Texas Cloverleaf on Lita when they had a match. I was in my "I hate the Hardy Boys" faze.

[Special K 0]

The move that ended the S2H match was just brutal.

[Vampiro69 0]

The move that ended the S2H match was just brutal.

 

The only other move to finish a match that rivals Malenko vs S2H is from Spring Stampede 99 when Juvy gave Blitzkieg the Juvy Driver from the top turnbuckle.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

 

 

My drunken attempt at the worm. That's all I can contribute to this thread.

[Just John 0]

Who could forget Dean Malenko: Ladies man? He had a LHW title run, if that means anything.

[Slayer 0]

My drunken attempt at the worm. That's all I can contribute to this thread.

*perusing through album*

 

Why do you look like David Cross?

[cabbageboy 0]

Malenko had the great singles match with Scotty at Backlash but I also remember the brilliance of his efforts in the No Way Out 2000 match against Too Cool and Rikishi. He just was such a dick in that match. On a loaded card I went away thinking how awesome Malenko was in that match.

[Ravenbomb 0]

how prevalent was he in the 10 man tag on Raw in 2000?

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

My drunken attempt at the worm. That's all I can contribute to this thread.

*perusing through album*

 

Why do you look like David Cross?

 

God fucking dammit, I argued about that every day this past summer at a previous job. In hindsight, the little bitch was right, but who wouldn't defend themselves against a being compared to a guy who could blow himself?

[Slayer 0]

Is RB51 in any of those pics?

[Dobbs 3K 0]

People summed it up well...Malenko was basically just the fourth "Radical." He won the LHW belt almost immediately to bring some shine back to it, and had a good match against Scotty 2 Hotty. Then he had a somewhat interesting feud with the Hardys involving Lita, but that faded pretty quickly. Oh, he had cool theme music too. He did have some interesting matches on shows like Sunday Night Heat, but obviously mostly just squashes over jobbers that no one really saw.

 

I think he deserves a proper retirement match, though. Best US technical wrestlers of the last fifteen years, IMO.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

My drunken attempt at the worm. That's all I can contribute to this thread.

*perusing through album*

 

Why do you look like David Cross?

 

 

God fucking dammit, I argued about that every day this past summer at a previous job. In hindsight, the little bitch was right, but who wouldn't defend themselves against a being compared to a guy who could blow himself?

 

 

Incidentally, a guy came out drinking with that night, who reminds me and Red Baron of Czech. Though it's yet to find it's way to photobucket, Baron took the liberty of futher Czeching it. I'll soon post it.

 

Also, I recalled last night how much I loved the theme Malenko used in PS1's Smackdown 2: KYR, if that helps at all. His video of all the compliments that start with "MALE" I thought was pretty cool as well.

[Slayer 0]

That was an odd double post

[pochorenella 0]

The move that ended the S2H match was just brutal.

 

The only other move to finish a match that rivals Malenko vs S2H is from Spring Stampede 99 when Juvy gave Blitzkieg the Juvy Driver from the top turnbuckle.

 

Not to start an argument or anything, but Low Ki's Ki-Krusher from the top rope onto Amazing Red was pretty brutal too. But yeah, those two mentioned are awesome as well. I also give props to Malenko for that NWO2000 match, and I remember him having a pretty good, albeit short-ish, LHW Title defense against TAKA on SD!

[Red Baron 0]

My drunken attempt at the worm. That's all I can contribute to this thread.

*perusing through album*

 

Why do you look like David Cross?

 

 

God fucking dammit, I argued about that every day this past summer at a previous job. In hindsight, the little bitch was right, but who wouldn't defend themselves against a being compared to a guy who could blow himself?

 

 

Incidentally, a guy came out drinking with that night, who reminds me and Red Baron of Czech. Though it's yet to find it's way to photobucket, Baron took the liberty of futher Czeching it. I'll soon post it.

 

Also, I recalled last night how much I loved the theme Malenko used in PS1's Smackdown 2: KYR, if that helps at all. His video of all the compliments that start with "MALE" I thought was pretty cool as well.

 

 

Dude, its in Photobucket under my account.

 

And no, I was not part of any of the festivities there at the shitty bar.

[Special K 0]

Malenko was one of my favorite juniors in New Japan. New Japan junior matches almost always have a good time of the match devoted to mat work, and Malenko's was actually really involving.

 

And the Texas Clover Leaf is the very best variation of the boston crab, IMO. Locks it in tighter than the crab, but gets more leverage than the Scorpion/Sharpshooter. Only matched by Kawada's single crab variation, which I've only seen once, and which focuses on the knee, anyway. I'm embarassed to admit this, but in college for pledge, we had a wrestling tournament, and I got a guy in the Texas Cloverleaf and made him tap. Good times.

[bob_barron 0]

I got to see one of Dean's last matches ever against TAKA, considering I was a HUGE Malenko mark, it was a privilege.

 

The Dean-Lita feud was really good stuff, I loved how Dean would always toy with her and kick her ass...because he could.

 

The blow-off to Dean v. Lita was some great TV.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Here's one I've been meaning to ask for a while:

 

Why did it go from Taka Michinoku to TAKA?

 

I remember it being TAKA Michinoku ( a combo of both, if you will) in the aforementioned SD 2 for PS1. It seemed like immediately upon the release of said game, TAKA was commonplace.

 

Fill me in?

 

By the way, Baron was sooooooo there. But no pics to my knowledge.

[Red Baron 0]

Isn't it if its all Caps means like a heel or something.

[Red Baron 0]

Actually I remember D'lo Brown doing his own version of the Cloverleaf where its more like Liontamer combination instead. That looked painful

[Papacita 0]

The blow-off to Dean v. Lita was some great TV.

How did they blow that one off anyway? I didn't have cable at the time and missed a lot of stuff around that period.

[The Buzz 0]

I enjoy a good wrestler who has the charisma to pull off a serious gimmick. Lance Storm and Dean Malenko are two of them.

[Guest Fook]

The blow-off to Dean v. Lita was some great TV.

How did they blow that one off anyway? I didn't have cable at the time and missed a lot of stuff around that period.

 

They had a match between Dean and Lita. Matt Hardy interfered on Lita's behalf, causing Dean to lose. Afterwards, Matt and Lita celebrated and had their first onscreen kiss.

[Jericholic82 0]

which theme? the radicalz one or the james bond-esque one from his short lived face run as the ladies man (which he later revisted during the lita angle)

 

highlights? how about the godfather trying to teach him the finer points of how to be a pimp ? (I think it was on a heat)

 

or the double date with perry saturn during the whole "you're welcome" angle ?

[Special K 0]

Dean was really funny as the ladies' man, which surprised the heck out of me.

 

And yes, All caps with the first name is a puro thing to indicate heels. I think I've only seen it with juniors. Examples I can think of are KENTA and CIMA, though CIMA could be an acronym. Plus he's really a tweener.

[Mecha Mummy 0]

Dean was really funny as the ladies' man, which surprised the heck out of me.

 

And yes, All caps with the first name is a puro thing to indicate heels. I think I've only seen it with juniors. Examples I can think of are KENTA and CIMA, though CIMA could be an acronym. Plus he's really a tweener.

 

CIMA is just another way of spelling his real first name, "Shiima." And since he changed his ring name (from Shiima Nobunaga to SHIIMA to CIMA) when he was still a full-fledged heel, there you go.

[haws bah gawd 0]

The move that ended the S2H match was just brutal.

 

The only other move to finish a match that rivals Malenko vs S2H is from Spring Stampede 99 when Juvy gave Blitzkieg the Juvy Driver from the top turnbuckle.

 

Not to start an argument or anything, but Low Ki's Ki-Krusher from the top rope onto Amazing Red was pretty brutal too. But yeah, those two mentioned are awesome as well. I also give props to Malenko for that NWO2000 match, and I remember him having a pretty good, albeit short-ish, LHW Title defense against TAKA on SD!

 

I have to give attention to the top-rope Ki Krusher. Red sold that like death had hit him. I love the way he flops all over the mat after hitting the ground. The sickest top-rope finisher I have ever seen is still from some random indy fed. I want to say it was Super Dragon doing the move, but he and his opponent were on the top rope, and he lifted the guy for a superplex, but instead of falling back to the mat, he gave the guy a vertical-drop Brainbuster ONTO the top turnbuckle. Looked fucking sick.

[JST 0]

El Generico does it all the time. Does he still do it?