In my opinion, this interview flowed better than Malenko’s RF Video shoot (which I’ve also reviewed). I wouldn’t say that the RF Video shoot wasn’t bad; it probably covered more topics than this one. That being said, the give-and-take style between Malenko and host Jake Manning here just seemed a bit more natural than it did between Malenko and Rob Feinstein, and you can really feel Manning’s passion for Malenko’s legacy ooze through the screen. This interview is more about Malenko’s philosophy of wrestling and what he wants and wanted to get out of it and the RF interview is more about the specifics of his career. I guess in deciding which to watch (if you can only afford one), it’s a matter of what you’re looking to get out of an interview with Malenko. Here, the viewer gets answers to questions like “how do you find your style niche?”, “what constitutes ‘wrestling smart?'”, and “what did Malenko aim to get out of his career?”
Malenko does a commendable job of demonstrating to the viewer what it was like growing up in a wrestling family rather than just telling them what it was like. His examples of his father getting pestered at urinals and getting his tires slashed provide great examples of what it means to experience wrestling heritage first-hand. A lot of this actually comes in the WCW section of the interview, and to be clear, there is a somewhat concrete WCW section, despite “WCW” not being listed in the Highspots product description. They don’t necessarily get into his WCW feuds and opponents; the interview focuses more on what the WCW era of his career meant to him and what his goals were while there.
This interview continues the streak from RF Video’s shoot with Malenko of his interviews not addressing two oddball stories that relate to him that I’ve always wanted to hear about – the New Jack-WWE anecdote and Malenko’s match with Mistico (Sin Cara). Supposedly, Malenko assigned New Jack a tryout match and told him that his one piece of advice was to not talk to Vince McMahon. Well, as the story goes, New Jack approached McMahon and thanked him for the opportunity and the next time New Jack looked at the lineup sheet, his name was crossed off of it. As far as Mistico/Sin Cara, supposedly Malenko’s last in-ring performance was a dark match for the staff with the Mexican star before doors opened. If anyone knows where I can hear or read Malenko address his role in either or both of those two stories, I would love to hear from you.
Having touched on my own selfish Dean Malenko curiosities, it is worth mentioning that viewers really see Malenko’s self-deprecating and sarcastic sense of humor shine, as there are plenty of laughs in this interview, despite it being with someone nicknamed “The Iceman.” Even when he didn’t have an answer (when asked what his weakness as an agent was), the answer was compelling in a comical manner. It occurred to me at one point that I was unusually engrossed watching this, more so than I usually am with other shoots. There were some times when I forgot to list topics in the “index of topics discussed” section because I was so enthralled by what was being said and I had to rewind. Since the duration is less than two hours, I can’t really give this an A, but I think an A- is a fitting rating for this program, which really (other than the being a little too short) epitomizes what a shoot interview should be.
PURCHASE: physical DVD – http://www.highspots.com/p/fireside-chat-dean-malenko.html; digital – https://www.highspotswrestlingnetwork.com/media/fireside-chat-dean-malenko/101256/feature
GRADE: A-
INDEX OF TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- his father Boris
- jumping from town to town while growing up
- breaking into pro wrestling
- Tony Charles
- Satoru Sayama (Tiger Mask)
- his goals early on
- the value of respecting veterans
- Eddie Guerrero
- Dynamite Kid
- his brother Joe
- Jushin Thunder Liger
- overcoming the Japanese language barrier
- coordinating body movements with opponents
- adjusting to what the ECW fans wanted
- 2 Cold Scorpio
- his press slam gutbuster off of the ropes
- being raised in a wrestling family
- being a Four Horsemen member
- Steve “Mongo” McMichael
- deciding to defect from WCW to WWE
- passing knowledge to his 2000-2001 WWE opponents
- giving his DDT off the top rope to Scotty 2 Hotty
- becoming an agent
- developing his style as an agent
- his impressions of AEW morale
- WWE extra talent
- the “Dark Side of the Ring” Chris Benoit episode
- PWI 500
RUN TIME: 1 hr. 40 min.
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