TSC Evaluation #69: Dean Malenko

mrken12 · Dec 20, 2017

In the last evaluation, Dolph Ziggler got a score of 4.78.

TSC Evaluation #68: Dolph Ziggler

If people have any requests for future wrestlers you want to see evaluated, let me know. I'll have one wrestler evaluated for each week every Wednesday. The leaderboard is updated every 5 threads so it's never too late to vote for previous threads.

For #70 it will be Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

Pending requests: The Godfather, Christian Cage, Scott Hall, Perry Saturn, Dusty Rhodes, Chris Candido, Brutus Beefcake, Alundra Blayze, Mark Henry
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Major Accomplishments

Extreme Championship Wrestling
ECW World Television Championship (2x)
ECW World Tag Team Championship (1x) – with Chris Benoit

International Championship Wrestling Association
ICWA Light Heavyweight Championship (1x)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated
PWI ranked him #1 in the PWI 500 in 1997
PWI ranked him #161 in the PWI Years in 2003

Suncoast Pro Wrestling
SPW Southern Heavyweight Championship (1x)

World Championship Wrestling
WCW Cruiserweight Championship (4x)
WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (1x)
WCW World Tag Team Championship (1x) – with Chris Benoit

World Wrestling Federation
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship (2x)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
Feud of the Year (1995) vs. Eddie Guerrero
Best Technical Wrestler (1996, 1997)

Other accomplishments
Hardcore Hall of Fame (Class of 2015)

With a scale of 1-10 how would you rate Dean Malenko in these categories:

-Mic work/promos

-Personality/gimmicks

-Ring work (along with some of your favorite matches/feuds)

-Overall rating (which doesn't have to be an average of the above scores)

Mack de la Rocha · Dec 20, 2017

Dean is the consummate worker. Could get a match out anybody and always seemed like a threat to win no matter where he was booked, simply by how he carried himself. Incredible wrestler and one of my personal favorites. Didn't need mic to be over - but was never some one who was going to carry the big main event feud.

9

Breh Obama · Dec 20, 2017

Solid technical worker. Had alot of charisma in the ring but not so much outside of it. He definitely for very well in the 2nd incarnation of the 4 Horseman. I give him a solid 7

Beautiful Bobby Eatin · Dec 20, 2017

If he was 4 inches taller hed be in the same conversations as we have for Bret Hart solid 8 for me. Had two of the GOAT themes as a horsemen and as the James Bond ladies man in WWE

julesocean · Dec 20, 2017

-Mic work/promos

3. Spoke as technical as his wrestling. Zzzzz fest every time.

-Personality/gimmicks

5. His gimmick of the Iceman, no nonsense, go out there and work, was perfect for his personality, which was essentialy no charisma, so his rating evens out.

-Ring work (along with some of your favorite matches/feuds)

8. Really fun to watch in the ring, took a little bit of culture from wrestling all over the world. Spent alot of time perfecting moves and spots, so didn't botch alot and they always looked fluid. Favorite feud vs. Jericho in WCW.

-Overall rating (which doesn't have to be an average of the above scores)

6. Good to watch on PPV, but storylines and feuds were always dead in the water with him. Can't rate him higher because of that.

Trill Evans · Dec 20, 2017

Great worker in ring. Perfect IC/US champion nothing more nothing less (maybe a little less). Amazing matches with Benoit in WCW. Was never going to get a legit run in the WWE due to his height.

Riley Escobar · Dec 20, 2017

In ring 10

Mic skills 0

Solid 7

Ripp · Dec 20, 2017

10 off the strength of being one of the original Vanilla Midgets :wow:

cant say much about him... I barely watched WCW except when the WWF guys were on screen..

when he came to WWF I didnt have cable anymore (for like a year)...when we got cable back he was irrelevant

I never picked him on any of the smackdown games either but the Texas clover leaf is the shyt

John Reena · Dec 20, 2017

That gif of him and Rey Mysterio tells u all u need to know bout Dean. Son could WRESTLE n never botched.

Jericho quantum leaped into my top 5 when he asked Dean how his dead dad was doing.

:russ:

Cartier Murphy · Dec 20, 2017

Dean’s the strongest 7 you can possibly have. Phenomenal worker who didn’t have much personality but was still fairly charismatic. In the pecking order of the Radicals I’d have him third, where he was just as good in ring as Benoit & Eddy, but lacked the intensity & physicality of Benoit, and lacked the charm and charisma of Eddy. I think he had a stellar career all things considered.

Favorite matches would include his matches against Rey Mysterio Jr, Eddy, Jericho, and his tag matches with Benoit

MightyHealthy · Dec 20, 2017

He didn't have to say a fukking word...when he came to the ring, you KNEW there was gonna be a fight.

He epitomized the pro in pro wrestler. He wasn't the biggest, but he was tough as nails. If you were unlucky enough to face him, you better bring your A-game. If you somehow won...you'd still feel like you lost.

He had a database of ways to make you suffer, was savvy enough to always seem one step ahead, and The Texas Cloverleaf was such a legit submission.

Hoss · Dec 20, 2017

More could have been done to market him as an ice-cold emotionless killer heel technician and hide the fact that he was pretty awful on the mic. Also, unfortunately, he was not very big. Still, he was one of the truly great workers and that alone gets him at least a 7, probably.

The Girl From Innsmouth · Dec 21, 2017

There is no exclamation that brings back precious memories of my youth like someone screaming, "THAT'S NOT CICLOPE!"

One of my favs, on sheer nostalgia. And sheer talent. The Iceman walk like this cuz he can back it up...

I would go for a full 10, save for the fact that he never had a really satisfying top of the card run. But that was more a bias of the time. These days, they would probably let him do some things. Honorable mention for having a widow-maker heart attack and then coming back to agent 3 days later.

9.

patscorpio · Dec 21, 2017

-Mic work/promos - straight to the point no nonsense promos....i cant remember any weak ones that made me go :scust:

or strong ones...so 5 for neutrality

-Personality/gimmicks - the iceman.just a simple vest, cold demeanor, ice grill...sometimes less is more..and in dean's case it epitomized him..dope ass entrance theme too..he was also a credible horseman...strong 7-7.5

-Ring work (along with some of your favorite matches/feuds) - a perfect example of somebody who could tell a story in the ring while being highly technical..a rarity from what i can see these days...his matches used to fascinate the fukk out of me..everything was crisp, fluid, and hard hitting..dudes was the perfect anti-foil for the lucha cruiserweights....the matches with rey were classic...benoit, jericho, ultimo dragon (someone who doesnt get enough mention on here by the way), eddy, even scotty 2 hotty..the man of a 1000 holds indeed..i swear he busted outsome crazy ass hold ive never seen before...and they all looked like they would fukk someone up badly in real life..the texas cloverleaf is one of the GOAT submissions ever...im a mark for his ring work so 10

-Overall rating (which doesn't have to be an average of the above scores) - he is a solid 7..for a guy who wasnt no more than 5'9 his offense looked far more dangerous than cats way bigger than him..unfortunately its a knock against him.he also never had a chance to have a real high level feud from someone top of the card..tough guy all the way and has a hand in training some good/.great talent..give him a 7.5.

ive always loved how he set up the cloverleaf from the pop up powerbomb :wow:

puppetmaster · Dec 21, 2017

Dean is a solid 7 for reasons that seem to have been covered well here

The Texas Cloverleaf was such a fun hold to put on people for those of us who took those "don't try this at home" ads as suggestions instead of orders.

how do you counter/escape the cloverleaf?

Simple. Do not under any circumstances end up in it

TSC Evaluation #69: Dean Malenko

Overall Rating

1 (Awful)

2

3

4

5 (Average)

6

7

8

9

10 (Legendary)

Veteran

Pro

First Breh President. Coli Prophet.

SWEEEEEEEEEETNESS!

Superstar

Cooling in the lads club

GOAT

Superstar

Superstar

Apathy’s a Tragedy & Boredom is a Crime

said what he said

Legalize us.

All Star

It's a movement

G.O.A.T