Dean Malenko
Dean Malenko

Height: 5'8"
Weight: 212 lbs.
Real name: Dean Simon
Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Finishing move: Texas Cloverleaf
Pro debut: 1979
Other aliases: Dean Solkoff (UWF), Man of 1,000 Holds, The Iceman (WCW), The Shooter (ECW), Ciclope (WCW), Double Ho Seven (WWE)
Career highlights: WWE Light Heavyweight Champion (2), WCW World Tag Team Champion (w/Chris Benoit), WCW Cruiserweight Champion (4), WCW United States Champion, ECW TV Champion (2), ECW World Tag Team Champion (w/Chris Benoit), ICWA (Tampa) Light-Heavyweight Champion, SPW (Suncoast Pro Wrestling) Southern Champion
Trained by: Boris Malenko

Malenko has wrestled all over the world and has spent much time wrestling in Mexico and Japan. He wrestled along with his brother Joe, forming a tag team, until his brother retired. On January 24, 1992, Malenko defeated "the Superstar" for the Suncoast Pro Wrestling (SPW) Southern title in Palmetto, Florida. Malenko defeated Jimmy Backlund for the ICWA Light Heavyweight title on March 12 1992, in Tampa.

In Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Malenko was known as "The Shooter" Dean Malenko and was given a gimmick similar to a UFC fighter. (Due to his uncanny resemblence to Royce Gracie) Malenko won the ECW Television title on November 4, 1994, the same night 2 Cold Scorpio had won the title from Jason. Chris Benoit and Malenko won the ECW tag team titles on February 25, 1995 from Sabu and the Tasmaniac in Philadelphia. Malenko, Benoit and Shane Douglas were the first Triple Threat faction in ECW. Malenko won the Television title for a second time on July 21, 1995, by defeating Eddie Guerrero. He and Guerrero feuded over the Television Title and fought a series of what most ECW fans consider to be five-star classics. His matches earned him a WCW contract, which he did not hesitate to sign. His last ECW match was against Guerrero in a Two-out-of-Three Falls match, which ended with a draw as the last fall had both men's shoulders on the mat.

In September 1995, Malenko and Benoit joined World Championship Wrestling. Malenko had a decorated career in WCW, winning many championships. On May 2, 1996, Malenko defeated Shinjiro Ohtani for the WCW Cruiserweight title in Orlando. Malenko would soon be known in WCW as "The Iceman" Dean Malenko due to his cold, caculating demenor and was also given the nickname of The Man Of 1,000 Holds (borrowed from the Dynamite Kid who had the nickname originally whilst wrestling in the UK). Malenko won his second Cruiserweight title on October 27, 1996, beating Rey Mysterio, Jr. in the process. Último Dragón relieved Malenko of the title two months later. Malenko won the Cruiserweight title back from the Último Dragón on January 22, 1997, in Milwaukee. To show his versatility Dean won the WCW United States Championship on March 16, 1997, defeating his former ECW foe Eddie Guerrero. Along with Chris Benoit, Malenko defeated Barry Windham and Curt Hennig for the WCW World tag team titles.

During his stay in WCW, Malenko engaged in a heated feud with Chris Jericho as well. The Cruiserwieght champion of the time, Jericho boasted that he was "The Man of 1,004 Holds" and had a final showdown with Malenko at 1998's pay-per-view, WCW/nWo Uncensored. After a long match, Jericho came out on top, leaving Malenko in an unusual fit of frustration. Gene Okerlund would come to the ring and interview Malenko, stating that he's lost the last three PPV matches in a row, calling him a loser, and asking "Where does Dean Malenko go from here?" Malenko simply replied "home." He would not be seen again in WCW for months but would return at Slamboree '98, disguised as masked wrestler Ciclope, and win a Battle Royal for a #1 contender spot for the Cruiserweight Championship.

Malenko became the first wrestler to win the WCW Cruiserweight title four times. He also became a part of the newest incarnation of Ric Flair's Four Horsemen faction. Near the end of his WCW career, Malenko joined up with Ric Flair's real-life rival Shane Douglas and his faction "The Revolution." In 2000, Malenko had his last match in WCW; an infamous match with Billy Kidman. The match was a "catch-as-catch-can" match at the WCW Souled Out pay-per-view event. Early on, Malenko instinctively left the ring to regroup and lost the match when his feet hit the arena floor. After the match was over, Malenko got back in the ring, apparently unaware that one of the match's stipulations provided that a wrestler could lose by being sent out of the ring.

After being granted his release from WCW the night after his last WCW match, Malenko signed with the WWF debuted on WWF RAW on January 31, 2000. Malenko first appeared in the crowd with the infamous "WCW Four" - himself, Chris Benoit, Perry Saturn and Eddie Guerrero - who all made exits from WCW at around the same time. While not having as much success in the WWF, Malenko was a force in the promotion's light heavyweight division. Along with Benoit, Saturn and Guerrero, he had some measure of success as part of The Radicalz faction. On March 13, 2000, Malenko pinned Essa Rios for the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship in East Rutherford, New Jersey. After dropping the Light Heavyweight title to Scotty 2 Hotty, Malenko regained it on April 25, 2000.

After a brief absence from TV, Malenko returned to reform the Radicalz with Benoit, Guerrero, and Perry Saturn. Around this time, Malenko briefly became known as Double Ho Seven, a parody of the fictional character James Bond, special agent 007. The gimmick was born out of a match with The Godfather, who offered Malenko one of his female escorts to Malenko instead of the two wrestling a match. Malenko gladly accepted his opponent's offer. As Double Ho Seven, Malenko competed for the affections of Lita and feuded with her tag team The Hardy Boyz. The feud culminated with Lita pinning Malenko (with some assistance from Matt Hardy) in a match on the February 19, 2001 edition of RAW.

Malenko dropped the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship after holding it for nearly twelve months to Crash Holly on an edition of Sunday Night HEAT. After both Benoit and Guerrero drifted away from the Radicalz, Malenko teamed with Saturn for several months before quietly disappearing off television as the WCW/ECW Invasion storyline began.