10 Greatest Wrestling Technicians In WWE History
8. Dean Malenko
No one will ever accuse Dean Malenko of having the charisma of the Rock or the personality of Mick Foley. he was never a beloved hero like Bret Hart or an anti-authority rebel like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Instead, Malenko's personality laid in his in-ring work and the way he was able to wrestle his opponents to the ground and twist them into a pretzel before they had any idea what had happened.
Dubbed "The Man of 1,000 Holds" because of his vast knowledge of counters, reversals and submissions, Malenko's entire character was based in him being among the best professional wrestlers on the planet. He proved that nickname accurate each and every night in World Championship Wrestling, picking up wins against Juventud Guerrera, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho and Eddie Guerrero en route to recognition as the No. 1 wrestler in the world in the PWI 500, as compiled by legendary sports-entertainment publication Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
Though he never had the opportunity to succeed as anything more than a midcard talent in WWE, Malenko still proved himself one of the most skilled technicians in the industry on more than one occasion, including a near-classic against comedic, goofball tag specialist Scotty Too Hotty at Backlash 2000.