Rivalry Rewind: Chris Jericho vs. Dean Malenko

Professional wrestling is built on the stories told in and out of the ring. These often come in the form of rivalries, pitting opposing forces against one another in pursuit of bragging rights, championships, and successes. The cruiserweight division of World Championship Wrestling was home to many memorable matches, though one story may be the most important of all. Let’s take a look back at the feud between Chris Jericho and Dean Malenko.

The revolutionary nature of World Championship Wrestling’s cruiserweight division can’t be understated. Upon its introduction in 1996, known as the light heavyweight division beforehand, it featured a unique style of wrestling that was different from what most wrestling fans in America were accustomed to. High-flying maneuvers and increased athleticism were among the key features that the likes of Psychosis, Juventud Guerrera, and Rey Mysterio Jr. brought to the fold. This wasn’t to say that the division was devoid of engaging storylines, however, and few are as memorable as the one between the boisterous Chris Jericho and no-nonsense Dean Malenko.

Chris Jericho Versus Dean Malenko – A Look Back

An Overview

Before diving into the Chris Jericho vs. Dean Malenko feud proper, it’s important to look back at where both men were prior. Jericho made his WCW debut in August of 1996, albeit as a babyface with little in the way of momentum behind him. While he was a 2x WCW Cruiserweight by the same time the following year, it was apparent that a character change was needed. This took place in January of 1998 at Souled Out. Jericho successfully challenged Rey Mysterio Jr. to win his third Cruiserweight Championship. Post-match, Jericho assaulted Mysterio, taking him out of action for months. From there, Jericho continued his villainous ways, even unmasking Juventud Guerrera at SuperBrawl VIII one month later. Slowly, but surely, Jericho became a prominent fixture in the cruiserweight division.

Meanwhile, Dean Malenko not only saw success in the cruiserweight division but outside of it. By the end of 1997, “The Iceman” was a former WCW United States Champion and 3x Cruiserweight Champion. However, Malenko was entering the new year on a shaky note. While he won the majority of his WCW Saturday Night and Monday Nitro encounters, he failed to win cruiserweight gold for the fourth time against Eddie Guerrero at Starrcade 1997. In 1998, Malenko would encounter a series of professional challenges and it could be argued that Jericho was emblematic of them.

“The Man of 1,004 Holds”

Chris Jericho battled Dean Malenko on multiple occasions before, but it was in March of 1998 that matters became particularly volatile. At Uncensored, Jericho successfully submitted Malenko in the Liontamer, retaining the Cruiserweight Championship. Post-match, a dejected Malenko left the ring, but not before being approached by “Mean” Gene Okerlund. Malenko was asked where he would go next following his recent string of losses. “The Iceman” simply said, “home,” which was followed by a two-month absence from the company. This didn’t stop Jericho from twisting the proverbial knife deeper.

On the March 30 edition of Monday Nitro, Jericho dispatched Marty Jannetty in a little over a minute. What followed would become one of the most historically talked-about promos in professional wrestling. Continually taunting Malenko, who claimed to be “The Man of 1,000 Holds,” Jericho claimed that he knew 4 more. From there, Jericho produced a seemingly never-ending document, which he read from. “Hold 1: arm drag. Hold 2: armbar,” Jericho ran down the list. This went on through multiple ad breaks, raising the ire of the crowd at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

For those that have never seen the promo in question, it must be seen to be believed from an absurdity standpoint. The fact that Jericho would go as far as he did here, his intention being to further disparage the crestfallen Malenko, is easy to chuckle at in hindsight. However, the self-proclaimed “Man of 1,004 Holds” would take matters further, which made his eventual comeuppance all the more gratifying.

Chris Jericho Taunts Dean Malenko and His Family

On the May 4 edition of Nitro, Chris Jericho was, once again, set to defend the Cruiserweight Championship. Before the match began, Jericho cut a promo to, of all things, a framed picture of Dean Malenko. Jericho’s verbal taunting of Malenko continued, making light of “The Iceman’s” devotion to his late father, and wrestler, Boris Malenko. Jericho regarded Dean as a disgrace to his family, which was only one of multiple deplorable comments made. From there, Jericho awaited his opponent on that night: a man called “Bore Us Malenko“ – known in real life as Johnny Boone – sporting “The Iceman’s” look and adopting his mannerisms. To the surprise of few, Jericho quickly dispatched his opponent.

The following week, on Nitro, one member of the Malenko family had enough. Joe Malenko, the real-life brother of Dean, confronted Jericho. During this segment, it was learned that, at Slamboree on 17th, Jericho would defend the Cruiserweight Championship against the winner of a 15-man battle royal on the same night. Nonetheless, Jericho took the situation lightly, poking fun at wrestlers he dispatched in the past, including Prince Iaukea. This led to Joe Malenko coming out to confront Jericho, letting him know his thoughts on “The Ayatollah of Rock and Rollah.” Jericho feigned respect for the Malenko family before sneak attacking the Malenko brother with “the leg of Rey Mysterio Jr.”

Though Jericho was riding an emotional high, matters would hit a dramatic low the following Sunday at Slamboree. WCW fans awaited the moment when the Cruiserweight Champion would be humbled. To say that Slamboree delivered would be an understatement.

The Iceman Cometh

Slamboree emanated from The Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts. The third match of the show was a 15-man battle royal to crown a new number one contender for the Cruiserweight Championship. There were a few notable names in the match, including Kidman, Chavo Guerrero Jr., and Juventud Guerrera, as well as lesser-known names in the division such as Ciclope. Jericho took it upon himself to ring announce, introducing the competitors in the way only he knew how.

The two final men remaining in the match were Guerrera, a former Cruiserweight Champion in his own right, and the relatively unknown quantity known as Ciclope. The two men shook hands before Juventud leaped over the top rope and landed on the floor, surprisingly viewers by eliminating himself. Ciclope unmasked and, to the universal elation of the crowd, it was revealed that Dean Malenko himself was under the mask. Despite the WCW cruiserweight division being positioned multiple notches below the main event scene, the crowd ate this moment up.

WCW fans wanted to see Malenko return and the horror on Jericho’s face added to said moment’s importance. The Cruiserweight Championship match began quickly thereafter, with Malenko quickly assuming control of the match. Jericho’s words and actions fueled the normally stoic “Iceman” and it showed in the punishment he delivered to the loudmouth titleholder. Even when Jericho took control, Malenko’s power of will and the support of the audience, as well as Guerrera on the outside, allowed him to press on. Once Malenko cinched in the Texas Cloverleaf, it was all over. Malenko exorcised his proverbial demon, and while he became a record-setting 4x WCW Cruiserweight Champion on this night, the true prize was “The Iceman’s” long-awaited retribution over his rival.

The Feud Continues

On paper, Dean Malenko’s victory at Slamboree would be the perfect resolution to this story. However, complications soon arose. Since Malenko won the WCW Cruiserweight Championship under the guise of Ciclope, not as himself, the title was declared vacant. This was fueled by Jericho’s belief in himself, genuine or otherwise, as a “conspiracy victim.” Not only did Jericho air his grievances toward WCW management but took said grievances to Washington D.C. This became the newest wrinkle in Jericho’s on-screen character, too.

In June, at The Great American Bash, Jericho and Malenko squared off to crown a new champion. This was a heated encounter, even leaving the ring for a stretch as the two battled outside Baltimore Arena. The match ended in disqualification when Jericho taunted his opponent, telling Malenko, “you’re nothing, just like your dead father.” This caused Malenko to snap, striking Jericho with a steel chair. Due to the DQ result against “The Iceman,” Jericho won his fourth Cruiserweight Championship. However, his business with Malenko in WCW wasn’t done yet.

Once Rey Mysterio Jr. reentered the cruiserweight title picture, Malenko stood alongside him. In fact, at Bash in the Beach in July, Malenko assisted Mysterio in helping him win his fourth Cruiserweight Championship against Jericho. Once again, “Conspiracy Victim” Jericho was incensed, believing himself to have been cheated out of his gold. Not only was Jericho given his title back but, due to his actions, Malenko was briefly fired in storyline. However, Malenko would return in time for Road Wild in August, where he served as the special guest referee for Jericho’s title defense against Juventud Guerrera, which the latter won.

Jericho and Malenko in WCW Afterward

Following their WCW feud, Chris Jericho and Dean Malenko went their separate ways in the company. Malenko went on to join The Four Horsemen, joined by names including stable stalwarts Arn Anderson and Ric Flair. At Uncensored 1999 in March, Horsemen Malenko and Chris Benoit defeated Barry Windham and Curt Hennig to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship. They held the titles for 15 days before dropping them to Billy Kidman and Rey Mysterio Jr. Following the Horsemen’s disbanding the following May, Malenko joined forces with The Revolution, an anti-establishment group led by Shane Douglas. Malenko’s final in-ring appearance took place at Souled Out 2000 in January, where he lost the match by, per the rules, leaving the ring and having his feet touch the floor.

The remainder of Jericho’s time in WCW was comparatively more eventful. In August of 1998, Chris Jericho moved up from the cruiserweight division, besting Stevie Ray for the WCW World Television Championship. Jericho’s next big feud, which never truly materialized, was against reigning WCW World Heavyweight Champion Goldberg. Though Jericho consistently taunted Goldberg, even hiring his own “security guard” in the rotund Ralphus, the two never actually wrestled in WCW. Creative stifling from the company, in this regard and others, was heavily influential in Jericho’s departure from the company in the summer of 1999. The remainder of Jericho’s programs in WCW, including one where he faced Perry Saturn in a “Loser Must Wear a Dress” Match, were middling at best.

The Jump to the World Wrestling Federation

Chris Jericho and Dean Malenko debuted in the World Wrestling Federation only months apart from one another. Jericho’s debut was nothing short of anticipated, with the WWF routinely showing a clock ticking down, the phrase “Countdown to the New Millennium” emblazoned on it. Jericho’s debut proper took place on the August 9, 1999 episode of Raw is War, where he interrupted The Rock during an in-ring promo. Jericho, or “Y2J,” declared that he would be the company’s savior. While Jericho’s early months in the company weren’t without their roadblocks, he would soon become one of the most popular stars in the company, not to mention wrestling as a whole. As the cliché goes, the rest is history.

Malenko made his WWF debut on the January 31, 2000 edition of Raw. He appeared in the front row alongside Perry Saturn, Chris Benoit, and Eddie Guerrero, all of whom left WCW with Malenko at the same time. Collectively known as The Radicalz, they interfered in a tag team match pitting The New Age Outlaws against Al Snow and Steve Blackman, laying out Billy Gunn and Road Dogg. Independent of The Radicalz, Malenko saw moderate success in the company. He won the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship on two occasions. His second reign, which lasted a recognized 321 days, was the second-longest in the title’s history under the WWF umbrella.

Chris Jericho Versus Dean Malenko – In Closing

Given their storied feud in World Championship Wrestling, one would imagine that the Vince McMahon-led World Wrestling Federation would attempt to replicate the Chris Jericho vs. Dean Malenko feud. In actuality, despite a few matches on various WWF programs, the two didn’t have a long-term program. By the year 2000, it was evident that the two men were on different levels in the company. Nonetheless, their battles in WCW were incredibly memorable, making the most of the limited spotlight that the cruiserweight division was given at the time. It’s proof positive that the division in question was more than a showcase of acrobatics, able to weave stories and narratives to keep viewers hooked.

Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.