[1996-08-19-WCW-Nitro] Dean Malenko vs Steven Regal

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

This was a personal pick of mine, and a match I always really liked. Tremendous mat clinic, as you'd expect with these two, and this was always a match I thought should have a full series of longer matches.

[Tim Evans]

This was a nice Nitro match and I really liked Larry Z's call of it. I know he gets shit on and rightfully so sometimes but I always liked Larry in the booth when he wasn't putting himself over.

[El-P]

I've got to the point where I can't watch a Dean Malenko match without thinking he's ridiculously overrated. He's just dry as hell. It works well against some great opponents who fit his character as an opposition, like Rey Jr., but against Regal or Benoit, it's just great mechanics but not much substance to me. Malenko is the prototypical worker for the jerk-off-fests "clap-clap-clap ! This is awesome !" kinda matches that would follow in the years to come (basically all based on Eddie vs Dean in ECW). So yeah, some really smooth exchanges, but I don't give a shit even though Regal is heeling up. Bring back Finley already.

[PeteF3]

But Dean works in this setting, because here he's an undersized guy trying to fight from underneath, giving this match a "hook" that goes beyond just being a mat-based spotfest. In fact he looks outclassed on the mat here, as Regal ties him in knots and throws him all over the ring, and Dean has to sneak out a victory. Really fun match--I'm not exactly a Dean fanboy myself but I could watch him and Regal wrestle for an hour.

[soup23]

Fun match that little to no reaction coming out and they got the crowd behind them by the end. Regals transitions are so smooth and it feels like he is leading Dean to really develop the character he has of being the ice man and the man of 1000 holds. **3/4

[tim]

Really good quick TV match. Simple but very well executed action. Dean really is great in these quick TV matches as opposed to longer technical classic type matches.

[superkix]

This was fine. Pure exhibition in the opening minutes, mechanical at times, but Regal in control was good and he had some fun character-moments. I liked the finishing stretch and quick pinfall for Malenko to "upset" Regal. 

[dawho5]

Two of my favorites going against one another.  And it worked.  I was a fan of this and I liked the finish, especially how it put Dean over without hurting Regal.