Dean Malenko | |
---|---|
Birth name | Dean Simon |
Born | [1][2] Irvington, New Jersey, U.S. | August 4, 1960
Spouse(s) |
Julie Hittinger (m. 1996) |
Children | 3 |
Family | Boris Malenko (father) Joe Malenko (older brother) |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Ciclope[3] Dean Malenko Dean Sarcoff Great Pumpkin |
Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[4] |
Billed weight | 212 lb (96 kg)[4] |
Billed from | Tampa, Florida[4] |
Trained by | Boris Malenko[4][1] |
Debut | February 18, 1985[5] |
Retired | December 11, 2001 |
Dean Simon[6] (born August 4, 1960), better known by the ring name Dean Malenko, is an American retired professional wrestler.[7] He is signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a senior producer.[8] He is best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) as a wrestler and a road agent and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).[4]
Although never a world champion, Malenko achieved championship success in ECW, WCW and the WWF, winning 11 total titles across the three organizations. Pro Wrestling Illustrated named Malenko the #1 wrestler in the world in 1997, and he was inducted into the Hardcore Hall of Fame in 2015.[9] He has been described by commentators as one of the most underrated wrestlers of all time.[10] Multiple-time world champion Bryan Danielson said that his "number one guy, growing up, was Dean Malenko".[11] Following his retirement as an in-ring competitor, he worked as a road agent for WWE from 2001 until 2019.
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