20 Most Overdue WWE Hall Of Fame Inductions

15. Dean Malenko

owen hart hall of fame
WWE.com

You know who topped the Pro Wrestling Illustrated 500 in 1997? Shawn Michaels? Sting? Hollywood Hogan? Steve Austin? Bret Hart? Nope, it was Dean Malenko, the doughy Jewish dad who ruled over WCW's legendary cruiserweight division with nothing but technical skill and icy determination. Malenko's no-frills style made him shockingly successful in WCW, and he later made a huge splash in WWE as one quarter of the legendary Radicalz defectors.

Why He's Not In: Aside from WWE's general cluelessness about celebrating WCW's successes, Malenko's WWE career was fairly lackluster. He won the Light Heavyweight Championship, the Lanny Poffo to the Cruiserweight Championship's Randy Savage, and worked a dumb womanizer gimmick. He's currently a road agent for WWE, where he's presumably locked in a parking space dispute with someone that's preventing his induction.

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Long-time fan (scholar?) of professional wrestling, kaiju films and comparative mythology. Aspiring two-fisted adventurer.