There are few wrestlers who demonstrated the technical wrestling prowess that Dean Malenko did throughout the 1990s. A second-generation star, Malenko worked across the globe early in his career but could not gain the notoriety and recognition necessary to truly make a name for himself in the industry.
That all changed with his arrival in the Philadelphia-based, Paul Heyman-owned Extreme Championship Wrestling.
Recognizing his immense talent and wrestling ability, Heyman labeled him The Shooter and allowed him to showcase his talents in matches against the likes of Eddie Guerrero and 2 Cold Scorpio.
His work in the ECW Arena caught the attention of Eric Bischoff, who signed Malenko to be one of the cornerstones of a cruiserweight division that would help separate the surging World Championship Wrestling from the competition.
Along the way, Malenko became one of the most respected stars in the industry, even earning the No. 1 spot in Pro Wrestling Illustrated's PWI 500 list.
Backstage politics held the Man of 1,000 Holds down, though, and by the time 2000 rolled around, he jumped at the opportunity to leave WCW and embark on a career renaissance in World Wrestling Entertainment.
As a member of the Radicalz, Malenko teamed with Chris Benoit, Perry Saturn and Eddie Guerrero to create chaos and suffering for any babyfaces unlucky enough to stand between the renegade group of newcomers and their goals.
Unfortunately, Malenko's lack of size hurt him in the land of giants, and he never really evolved past the light heavyweight championship while competing in singles matches. Add to that a degenerating neck, and the master of grappling was forced to call it a career earlier than he and his fans would have hoped.
Today, he works backstage in WWE, helping some of the brightest young stars in the industry succeed and thrive as they move up the proverbial ladder.
In celebration of Malenko's critically acclaimed career, and in honor of his many accomplishments, enjoy this stroll down memory lane with a look at the Iceman's greatest matches and moments.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2309912-full-career-retrospective-and-greatest-moments-for-dean-malenko
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