Dean Malenko arrived in WCW back in September 1995. Bringing expert technical skills and years of experience, as well as what he learned from his legendary father Boris Malenko, he was a shrewd acquisition to bolster the ranks of the promotion. Malenko worked in WCW from 1995-2000 before finally signing with WWE.
Malenko settled in well to the WCW style and found his niche among the cruiserweights. He was famously part of a group of four wrestlers that jumped to WWE, after begin unhappy with their positions in WCW. His time in WCW will always be remembered for the quality of wrestling that he brought to the promotion, and one legendary incident with Chris Jericho.
10 Arrival In WCW
Malenko’s televised debut match was against fellow ECW alumni Eddie Guerrero. Dean had joined WCW as part of a young group of wrestlers Eric Bischoff swooped up from Paul Heyman’s promotion.
Malenko and Guerrero had an initial series of matches to get calibrated in WCW and Dean even worked in NJPW for a long period while being on the roster in North America due to the links. This feud would later be revisited down the line for a prestigious title.
9 World Heavyweight Title Match Against Ric Flair
On a WCW Saturday Night broadcast in early February 1996, Malenko challenged Ric Flair for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, which was a match that deserved a bigger stage.
Malenko was about to put the Texas Cloverleaf on Flair when Woman interfered. Malenko was attacked outside of the ring however which allowed Flair to get the upper hand and retain his title. They faced again later in the year for the US Title in August in a much better match also on WCW Saturday Night worth checking out.
8 Faced Ultimo Dragon For J-Crown
At Starrcade 1996, a Title Unification match went down. Ultimo Dragon placed his J-Crown on the line against Malenko and the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. It was the opening match of the night, and Malenko meant business.
It went almost 20 minutes, giving both wrestlers plenty of time on WCW's best platform to elevate the titles. With Sonny Ono at ringside proving a distraction and some nice back and forth with finishers, Dragon finally pinned Malenko. Even though Malenko lost, his stock, the title, and the division was raised on this encounter as both wrestlers benefited.
7 Elevation To The United States Championship
Malenko and Eddie Guerrero got entangled with belts on the line, renewing their rivalry. Malenko was upset that he lost his Cruiserweight Championship due to Guerrero's interference at SuperBrawl 7, so HE targeted Eddie's United States Championship.
They faced each other at Uncensored for the title, and thanks to interference from Syxx, Malenko become the new United States Champion, redeeming his loss of the Cruiserweight Championship.
6 Feud With Chris Jericho
Malenko’s most memorable feud in WCW was against Chris Jericho. It involved some genuine drama when it looked like he might retire, and some great comedy from Jericho. At Slamboree 98, Malenko won a Battle Royal to determine a new number one contender for the Cruiserweight Championship, then won the title form Jericho in the next match.
He did so under a mask, and when he revealed himself, he received a huge pop. It really did deliver everything and put Malenko up against a talented foe, helping him get over with the WCW crowd.
5 Cruiserweight Victories
Malenko became associated with the Cruiserweight Championship, winning it four times. His title victories came against Shinjiro Otani, Rey Mysterio, Ultimo Dragon and Chris Jericho. Malenko proved to be a force in the division.
He also has a fantastic collection of matches against the likes of Psychosis, Syxx, Alex Wright, and many others. His time in WWE was not as productive from a wrestling standpoint, but in WCW, Malenko was a top-level cruiserweight.
4 Steel Cage Retribution Match
About a year after the WarGames 1997 match, where Ric Flair was famously betrayed by Curt Hennig, Dean Malenko faced the turncoat who had joined the nWo. Seeking retribution, this one went down a week before Fall Brawl 1998 after Dean demanded the match. Hennig was accompanied by his friend Rick Rude, but the cage was meant to separate his interference.
Hennig claimed that he was the man that dismantled the Horsemen, and scaled the top of the cage Spider-Man-style to gain an advantage. The match was full of interference, and turned into a bit of a mess.
3 The Four Horsemen And The Revolution
While in WCW, Malenko joined The Four Horsemen with a returning Ric Flair, Chris Benoit, and Mongo McMichael. Arn Anderson was back as manager, and this all came about after Benoit and Malenko pestered Anderson to reform the group for weeks.
Malenko pursued the Tag Team Championship during this period, specifically with Benoit. After the Horsemen self-destructed, Malenko moved onto a new family in The Revolution.
2 Bash At The Beach 1999
Malenko lost a United States Championship match to David Flair at Bash at the Beach 1999. This was probably one of the primary reasons why he chose to leave the promotion, as there is no way a wrestler of his talents should have lost to Flair's son, irrespective of storylines or blood ties.
A classic example of WCW not promoting a good wrestler, and another example of why the company was falling apart. The short match went down with much interference before David picked up the win.
1 Final Match Against Kidman
Malenko's exit from WCW went down against Billy Kidman at the Souled Out 2000 PPV, just before he left for WWE. He lost via a technicality in a pretty poor way to go out.
Malenko prospered in the new promotion before retiring and working backstage in WWE for nearly twenty years as an agent. Deciding he needed a new challenge, Malenko is now a senior producer in AEW.