Mike Singletary, the former middle linebacker who had a Hall of Fame career alongside Steve “Mongo” McMichael on the Chicago Beats’ defensive corp, had this glare. And everyone knew about his eyes – that’s teammates, opponents, members of the media and, of course, the fans worldwide, thanks to wonders of television. Singletary’s bulging eye showed a fierce competitor, a perennial Pro Bowler whose goal was simple: seek and destroy an opponent.

That’s just like Malenko – sans the eyes.

Malenko, in fact, couldn’t be any farther from Singletary in that area. Malenko’s nickname, The Ice Man was handed to him by fellow wrestlers – not the fans or some WCW broadcasters – for his simple never-changing stare. Malenko would be perfect at the tables in Las Vegas.

“You never know what he’s thinking about in the ring, and that certainly works to his advantage,” said longtime rival Eddie Guerrero. “You don’t know if he’s hurt, in pain or mad…you just don’t know what he’s thinking, because he doesn’t show anything (on his face). He has the same facial expression all of the time.”

“When people step in the ring against Dean, they are so astonished because he just looks like your average wrestler, but when he starts wrestling, man, he’s incredible. He comes up with moves like a magician; it’s like he pulls ‘em out of the hat, no one knows where they’re coming from.”

A second-generation grappler who stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 212-pounds, Malenko is, pound for pound, the best in the business. Justifiably known as “The Man of 1,000 Holds,” he is a scientific specialist who can handle foes of any height & weight. And when the competition is near his classification – that is, the Cruiserweight Division – Malenko is, unquestionably, the game’s greatest. Just ask Japanese star Ohtani, who in May, lost the strap to Malenko. Or Brad Armstrong, who Malenko stopped at Slamboree. Or Rey Mysterio, Jr., who Malenko bested at The Great American Bash.

“When he beat Ohtani for the Cruiserweight Championship, I was not surprised one bit. I knew it was going to happen;’ it was just a matter of time,” Guerrero said. “You see when Dean Malenko gets a goal in his mind, he works tirelessly until he reaches it. Sure, he’s sneaky at times, but he is a great wrestler, no doubt about it.”

“Stepping in the ring with Dean Malenko, you have to be in tip-top shape, you have to be focused 100 percent on what you’re doing otherwise he’ll tear you up and end the match in a matter of seconds; he’s that good, that capable.”

Guerrero added, “I’ll admit it, the first time I stepped in the ring against Dean Malenko, I was intimidated. Big time. And the only other time I have ever been intimidated before a match was the first time I went in there with the Belfast Bruiser Dave ‘Fit’ Finlay. Yep, I was even more intimidated before my first match with Dean Malenko than any of my matches with the legendary Ric Flair.”

Dean Malenko is here in WCW to stay, to establish himself in America just as he has done over the past 10-plus years while wrestling in Japan.

“Any time I can get in the ring to wrestle, be it against Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger, Ohtani, Eddie Guerrero, or whoever, that brings out the best in me. I enjoy wrestling the best,” Malenko said. “I strive on getting in the ring and knowing that I can compete with the best in the game, especially when I know it’s a worthy opponent, someone who can push me to the limit.”

Malenko’s gameplan, regardless of opponent, is fairly simple: capitalize on the mistakes of others. That, you see, is when his experience shines through brightest.

“To say I’m the cream of the crop in the Cruiserweight Division is something I’m very proud of,” he said, “and to be a great Champion, I think you have to be one who defends the belt night in, night out, against competitors of all styles.”

That’s Japanese wrestlers, Mexican superstars and, of course, WCW mainstays, such as Guerrero, Alex Wright, J.L., and so many others. None, it seems, is a problem for Malenko, a Tampa resident who masters holds – and, of course, counter holds – much the way Ric Flair clamors the spotlight.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, wrestling is nothing more than human chess; it’s all about making the last move,” said Malenko, the WCW star who uses video tape replays much the way the Chicago Bulls do when studying, say, the Orlando Magic. “I was fortunate to have a father who I studied for many, many, years; he was a major influence, all the way back to when I first started wrestling at the amateur level at age 8. I was very fortunate to be surrounded and influenced by some of the greatest wrestlers of all time, all thanks to my dad.”

Malenko’s dad, known as The Great Malenko, wrestled worldwide, yet achieved his greatest notoriety in Florida, with regional promotions, in the 1970s. He died Sept. 1, 1994.

“He was a big influence on my career,” said Malenko. “He taught me how to handle myself in the ring, what to expect, what to look for, what it takes to get where I’m at now. He, unfortunately, is not here today to see what I’ve accomplished. But, I know, somewhere, he is smiling down on me. I just hope I make him proud.”

“Dad was always there for me while I was growing up, from little league football to AAU-Junior Olympic matches in the early-1970s to freestyle and greco-roman tournaments when I wrestled as an amateur. He was also as big an influence on my personal life as much as he was on my professional life.”

“He taught me all of the important values in life, what it takes to succeed. I’ll never forget him, especially because, he not only was a good teacher, but, more than that, a very close friend, someone I confided it for a lot of things. He was always there, during the good times and the bad times. I knew I could always call him, with whatever problem or question I had. And it didn’t matter where I called him from, such as Japan…he was always there.”

“My dad is, unquestionably, the one who molded me into who I am today.”

With, of course, help from Malenko’s mom, Sondra, who still watches all of his matches and, afterwards, is open with her analysis, good and bad.

“I hope I’ve made my parents proud with what I’ve accomplished; that’s very important to me,” said Malenko, known as the WCW who ‘eats, drinks and sleeps wrestling.’

A 1978 graduate of Tampa Catholic High School, Malenko wrestled briefly at the collegiate level before shifting his focus to the pro ranks, in Japan. He has wrestled for the UWF, All-Japan and, presently, New Japan Pro Wrestling.

He made his WCW debut last summer.

“It’s almost as if I’m now having a second career. Being in WCW – actually, just being in America – is like a new beginning; it’s like a different world, one I really like,” Malenko said.

“There are a lot of people in American who have no idea who I am, where I came from. But I think I’m changing that rather quickly, because I’m the WCW superstar who takes this sport to a whole ‘nother lever. I take this sport very seriously, unlike some others (wrestlers). I never take anyone too lightly and never look further ahead than my current opponent. I think I am what wrestling needs. I think I’m someone that the sport of wrestling hasn’t had in a long time: a pure wrestler.”

“I don’t really have a set style of wrestling; I can adapt to anyone’s style. That ability, I fell, is a huge plus to my arsenal, especially when you consider that a lot of other wrestlers might just be good (at stopping) one style of wrestling, but not any others.”

“I don’t hate any opponents. I just look at the guy across the ring from me as another athlete, just like myself. And I know, as the old cliché goes, on any given night, anyone can win any match. Wrestling, like all sports, is all a matter of who prepares the best.”

Malenko, married (to Julie) this past March, enjoys spending time outdoors when not in the ring, particularly at the beach. However, there isn’t much lull-time for the powerhouse. He runs Malenko’s Pro Wrestling Camp in Tampa, which his dad opened in 1978. To date, more than 500 wrestling wanna-be’s have past through the course, including Mark Starr, among others.

“The school really helps me; it keeps my mind sharp because, when I’m not in the ring defending my WCW Cruiserweight Championship, I’m in the wrestling school’s ring, training young talent. It’s a 7 days-a-week job, so, obviously that can only help me.”

“I have never stopped learning. I never stop watching wrestling. The way I look at thins is, when you think you know it all, that’s when you’re through.”

But for Malenko, the Championship reign has just begun.