62. Dean Malenko

As the son of Professor Boris Malenko, Dean Malenko was bred to be a wrestler. Surprisingly, the Iceman really didn’t hit the national stage until his mid thirties, but when he did; anyone who watched a Dean Malenko match knew they were watching one of the best ring tacticians in the world.

In an age where smaller wrestlers needed to be high flyers, Malenko dazzled fans with his mat skills and for a man less than six feet tall, you believed there was nobody who he could not bring to the ground with one of the many holds in his arsenal. He never got the kind of run he probably should have in the WWE, but with the amazing matches he put on in WCW, ECW and Japan, fans certainly got their money’s worth.

Should Dean Malenko be in the Hall of Fame?

Definitely put him in! - 82.1%

Maybe, but others deserve it first. - 10.5%

Probably not, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. - 2.1%

No opinion. - 2.1%

No way! - 3.2%

The Bullet Points

Other Aliases: Dean Simon (Real Name)
The Shooter
The Iceman
The Man of 1,000 Holds
Billed From: U.S.A. (Tampa, FL)
Key Championships Held: ECW Television (2)
ECW Tag Team w/Chris Benoit
WCW Cruiserweight (4)
WCW United States Heavyweight
WCW World Tag Team w/Chris Benoit
WWF Light Heavyweight (2)
Why they will get in: He is still on good terms with the WWE and he was successful there especially outside of the ring as an agent.
Why they won't get in: His best work occurred outside of the WWE.
Five Greatest Matches/Moments: 1. Had a losing effort against Jushin Liger at the Sumo Hall (11/22/92)
2. Had a series of five star matches against Eddie Guerrero in ECW over the Television Title (1995)
3. Proved he had a new dream opponent when he beat Rey Mysterio to retain the WCW Cruiserweight belt (6/16/96)
4. In an often overlooked match lost to Ultimo Dragon at Starracde (12/29/96)
5. Beat his old foe, Eddie Guerrero to win the United States Heavyweight Title (3/19/97)