Former senior vice president of World Championship Wrestling Eric Bischoff might be most frequently credited for his creative process with the NWO, the linchpin for WCW beating WWE in the ratings for 83 consecutive weeks during the Monday Night Wars of the late 90s/early 2000s. Notwithstanding, another area of pro wrestling during that pro wrestling epoch which Bischoff should be lauded for more often is his handling of the WCW Cruiserweight division, which was ahead of its time and whose example paved the way for the smaller, more agile wrestlers you see in today’s pro wrestling landscape.
One such wrestler from the WCW cruiserweight division who set the precedent in Bischoff’s eyes was “The Iceman” Dean Malenko and it wasn’t just because of Malenko’s esteemed wrestling ability — it was his intensity and mannerisms as well.
“There was a layer of intensity that was understated that made his intensity even more powerful to me,” Bischoff said on a recent episode of his “83 Weeks” podcast. “When he walked through that curtain, he’s rubbing his wrists, he’s looking around, and the camera sees his eyes, you’d look in Dean’s eyes and you could allow yourself to believe Dean Malenko is getting ready for a fight. Might not think it consciously, but subconsciously as you’re watching, because you’re watching to escape, watching to get sucked into the characters, want to believe it’s real, it’s real as long as the people that you’re watching give you a half-a** reason to believe it is. That’s called performing…and Dean had that.”
Bischoff went on to describe Malenko as the “Mercedes-Benz hood ornament of excellence” who “had everything I was looking for in a champion.” Malenko would win the WCW Cruiserweight Championship four times during his tenure with WCW.
Bischoff has lauded Malenko’s ability in past episodes of “83 Weeks.” Back in September, he stated that he loved Malenko’s character and disagreed with anyone that believed Malenko had a lack of charisma. He also believed that Malenko was underrated overall as a pro wrestler.
“I just loved Dean’s character. I disagree with anybody that would’ve dismissed him because of his lack of character. I mean, “The Iceman” Dean Malenko? I believed in him. When he walked through that curtain, he made be believe he was there and he was deadly serious about what he was about to do. If the goal in producing a great wrestling match – or great wrestling show for that matter – is to suck people in and allow them to believe in this fantasy they’re experiencing. You really want them to feel it. The only way they can feel it is if they believe it, even momentarily. Dean made me believe the minute he walked through the curtain. I think that was his character to me. I loved watching Dean Malenko matches. He was amazing to watch in the ring, but I loved watching the way he carried himself to the ring and around the ring and in his promos. I believed every syllable he would say in a promo because he made me believe when he walked through the curtain.”
“I think Dean, in many respects, is underrated. But I think a lot of fans recognize – especially now looking back – just how great he was. I do think he is perhaps one of the more underrated [wrestlers], and I feel that way again because of the respect I have for him professionally and the way that he conducted himself. That puts him on a whole other level in my opinion. Fans may not see that, they didn’t experience that part of it.”
Do you agree with the thoughts shared by Eric Bischoff on Dean Malenko’s underrated skill and intensity? Did you enjoy watching Malenko during his career? Let us know in the comments.
