Joe Malenko

[Grimmas]

Discuss here.

[JerryvonKramer]

Most boring and charisma-less wrestler of all time?

[Grimmas]

Most boring and charisma-less wrestler of all time?

Wrong thread. This is for Joe Malenko, not Dory Funk Jr.

[El-P]

On 5/27/2015 at 1:22 PM, Grimmas said:

 

On 5/27/2015 at 1:03 PM, JerryvonKramer said:

Most boring and charisma-less wrestler of all time?

Wrong thread. This is for Joe Malenko, not Dory Funk Jr.

 

 

This one was so obvious.

 

Yeah, Joe had even less charisma than Dean. But was he or was he not a better worker ? I dunno. Dean is overrated as hell, so... A bit too harsh.

[goodhelmet]

Great match on the All Japan set. Great match in BattlArts. Has no chance of making my Top 100.

[Tim Cooke]

Also great match in PWFG. But no, not top 100.

[Jetlag]

Joe Malenko should be a lock for my Top 100 Wrestlers I Love But Can't Honestly Call Top 100 All Time list.

[Childs]

I would rank him above Dean, though, for his cool-ass mat spots alone.

[Graham Crackers]

Carl is the best Malenko.

[El-P]

Debbie is the best Malenko.

[Graham Crackers]

Debbie is the best Malenko.

We can agree they're all better than Dean, right?

[JerryvonKramer]

I think the anti-Dean stuff has gone a bit too far in this thread.

[goodhelmet]

Agreed... plus Dean is a guy I have enjoyed more on rewatch as I enter into old age.

[Timbo Slice]

Just doesn't have enough for a project like this, but on a per-match basis, he's got some good ones.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Joe was way better than Dean in the Fantastics match on the All Japan set. I am shocked that being bereft of charisma was being levied at Joe based on the handful of matches I have seen him in. He not only does tricked out mat work better than Dean, he’s a better seller & bumper than Dean who looks like he is doing a mini-Brody gimmick. Joe did disappoint a little with Kobashi against the Can-Ams. 

[Ma Stump Puller]

I imagine if Joe got in a time machine to the 70s and gained a little extra height he would be a pretty beloved upper card workhorse of the era. The guy does the kind of methodical NWA-style sprawling matwork style very well and adapted strongly to the climates he was thrown in, learning how to incorporate more grit and submission work when shoot-style comes knocking and gives him a bunch of opportunities to be a strong hand with a bunch of the greats. I even enjoyed his brief 2010 comeback, for as little as it lasted. Not much of a complex wrestler when it came to psychology or showmanship but if you wanted a guy to straight-face grapple with you for a good 20 to 30 minutes, he was your guy. Not for my top 100 sadly though, sadly.

 

 

 

[Owen Edwards]

Joe is not currently on my top 100, though Dean is flirting with it. Need to expand just a little on both to make final judgements.

 

Joe is good, though. Baffling to think people don't see it. Some of this has to be footage and access, what people had watched once upon a time. His 1989 Junior and semi-Junior Tag work is just fantastic, and the tag element stretches back to '88 and forward to '92. He's fun in the Double Malenko team as the shooter and ground guy, and he's fun in the Kikuchi team as the big brother (that is a neglected team). His work for PWFG/UWFi is good, too, on the whole, and a nice stepchange.