"I'm a little distracted," Dean Malenko reveals, as he heads toward the dressing room curtain. Before an observer can ask him to elaborate, Malenko provides the missing pieces to the puzzle. Nodding his head, he gestures at two scantily clad women to join him in his long walk to the ring. They respond with lovestruck zeal, breathlessly clomping up to him on high heels and wrapping their arms around his squat, brawny form.

Malenko looks around to see if anyone is watching. Superstars pass him by, barely noticing the women's affectionate overtures. Malenko keeps looking until he spots a janitor. Satisfied that he has an audience, the wrestler breaks into a smirk.

"It's hard to keep my focus with these women hanging all over me," he booms in his scratchy voice. "I mean, just look at them - they're infatuated with me. But what's not to be infatuated with, you know? I'm like James Bond."

This is a Dean Malenko the fans have never seen before. In fact, this is a Dean Malenko not even his immediate family has ever seen before. For years, he was considered one of the most serious athletes in the squared circle. He'd enter the arena unsmiling, do calisthenics in the dressing room corridor, wrestle his match, then retreat into a dark corner of the arena where, with arms folded he'd scout future opponents.

"My entire life, I've been all business," he reveals. "Well, sometimes a man's got to have a little fun. If the chicks are coming to the arena because they dig Dean Malenko, it's only fair that I send them home happy."

But does Malenko really understand how to show a woman a good time? Friends who wish to remain anonymous disclose that, for most of his life, the brooding Superstar didn't know how to talk to women, awkwardly responding to their inquiries with monosyllabic answers or withdrawing from the scene entirely, claiming, "I gotta train."

When he entered the World Wrestling Federation last January, Malenko continues to conduct himself the same way. But the increased attention he received from always being in the media spotlight drew more aggressive women than Malenko had ever known. Even when Malenko tried excusing himself, these ladies tended to follow him out of the room, taunting him with lines like, "What's the matter? You afraid of girls?"

At first, Malenko replied to these exchanges by challenging the women to a wrestling match in order to "put them in their place." Incredibly, many accepted. And, while some raced away in tears after being victimized by a leg grapevine or front facelock, a sizable number told Malenko they wanted more.

"It's all very confusing," says Malenko, arguably the best light heavyweight in the World Wrestling Federation. "Some guys think the way to a woman's heart is by giving her flowers and candy. Some women won't be pleased until I give than a powerbomb or sidewalk slam. So, go figure."

Of course, not all female devotees of the self-proclaimed "chick magnet" want to be clotheslined over the top rope. Some simply want to be in his company. "I'm a star, and women like that," Malenko offers boastfully. "They want to walk with me to the ring, do my laundry, even sift through my garbage and look for my half-eaten dill pickles, just because they touched Dean Malenko's lips."

But the Superstar's brashness doesn't have every woman cheering. More than a few are outright offended by him, and have vowed to prove that the light heavyweight is neither as charming nor tough as he proclaims. A short time ago, Malenko became embroiled in skirmishes with Chyna, as well as with former Women's Champions Jacqueline and Ivory. Although the ladies did a competent job of throttling him, Malenko claims that he looks forward to similar encounters in the future.

"I'd like the World Wresting Federation to create a new title - Intergender Champion," he says.

Malenko's talk about the Intergender belt conjures up images of the first man to ever claim that title: comedian Andy Kaufman. The late star of the television show Taxi had spent his lifetime dreaming about notoriety between the ropes. Since the diminutive Kaufman count not hold his own against the mail members of the mat wars, he focused his energies on what he called the fairer sex, embarrassing women bold enough to wrestle him during his nightclub routine. Of course, there are numerous differences between Kaufman and Malenko. While Kaufman personified the late '70s and early '80s, Malenko is a man of the new millennium, and he's a legitimate tough guy who's fared as well against men as women.

"I'd conquer any woman bold enough to wrestle me," he continues. "I can see it now, me putting my title on the line against any female in the arena, and hands being raised by women screaming, 'Pick me! Pick me!'"

For a moment, the Superstar resembles the Malenko of old, as he backs up towards the wall, stone-faced, his mind wandering, leaving the observer to ponder whether he is contemplating Intergender title glory - or simply marveling at the fact that women are paying attention to him at all.