10 Former Cruiserweight Champions: Where Are They Now?

A four-time Cruiserweight Champion, Dean Malenko is widely regarded as one of the best technical wrestlers of all-time. Whether working for ECW, WCW, or WWE, Malenko established a reputation as a no-nonsense, all-business character who preferred to do his talking in the ring. Malenko may have had the physique of a middle-aged father, but his technique and transitions were fluid, precise, and intricate. The Man of 1000 Holds” more than lived-up to his name, and there wasn’t a wrestler in the world he couldn’t submit.

Malenko also enjoyed an impressive 322-day reign was WWE Light Heavyweight Champion: a division he dominated until the Invasion angle kicked-in, and Dean fell down the pecking order. He quietly retired in 2001 having been left of WWE TV for several weeks, and made his last appearance wrestling Sin Cara in a tryout dark match back in 2007.

Underused and underappreciated in WWE, Malenko was never the most charismatic wrestler in the world, but he thrived in WCW. He’s appeared on WWE television a few times since retiring and sadly suffered a heart attack in 2010, though he was able to pull-through and return to work shortly after. Today, Malenko works behind the scenes for WWE as an agent: a role he transitioned into upon retirement.