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The Iceman Cometh: Dean Malenko Joins AEW As Senior Producer/Coach

It was heavily speculated following his departure from the WWE a few weeks ago that Dean Malenko was most likely bound for All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and the rumors increased tenfold in the past few days when he was photographed with AEW owner Tony Khan and VP Cody Rhodes outside their private jet. But on Friday, AEW made it official. The former WWE, WCW and ECW Superstar has signed with AEW as their Senior Producer and Coach, joining a coaching staff that features Billy Gunn and Jerry Lynn, and acting as the Senior Producer backstage.

Dean Malenko retired from active competition in 2001, just a year into his WWE career, following a lengthy career that included stops in WCW, ECW, New Japan Pro Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling, and various NWA territories in the 1980s. He transitioned to a backstage role as a producer and road agent and left the company this past April after 19 years with the company.

“Dean Malenko has been a massive force behind some of today’s biggest wrestling stars,” said Cody Rhodes in the press release today. “He’s never stopped being a major talent who was part of the ECW revolution as well as a fixture in the cruiserweight movement on Nitro. He’s kept an open mind to our world from Lucha Libre to Japanese pro-wrestling. He’s the perfect fit for our sports-centric mentality, and his experience will be invaluable to our team. Welcome Coach!”

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.

Check out our other #AllEliteWeek articles for more AEW news heading into Double or Nothing this Saturday!

Jamie Greer

Jamie Greer

Jamie Greer joined LWOPW in 2015 and was the site's Managing Editor from 2016 through 2020. After handing over ME duties to Alex Richards, he remains a frequent contributor to the site. He's also written for Pro Wrestling Illustrated, WrestleZone, The Windsor Star, and other publications. He lives in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, with his wife and son.

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