Jeff Marek: Our guest this week, pound-for-pound one of, if not the best wrestlers in the world. Dean Malenko, welcome to Live Audio Wrestling.

Dean Malenko: I�m glad to be here, Jeff.

JM: How do you feel after your match with Benoit? The last man standing match in Phoenix on Monday.

DM: Anytime you get into the ring with Benoit, you are open for a lot of chops. But, no, I have said it many times before, Chris is probably one of the best out there, if not the best. Anytime I am able to get into the ring with Chris I enjoy it. I enjoy those types of matches, the technical matches. Anytime I am with someone I respect and someone who respects me, I think you get a good outcome out of it.

JM: Is he your favorite guy to work with?

DM: One of them.

JM: Who else would you put up there?

DM: Of course, Eddie Guerrero. I try to choose guys that I think I have good chemistry in the ring. It�s like two dancers, or anything else. Rey Mysterio, Jr. I have good chemistry with. Billy Kidman is good. A couple of guys over in Japan. Steve Regal is another guy I have good chemistry in the ring. I could pretty much have a match with anybody, but there is just some guys you think you can go to another lever, which you can�t with others.

JM: Right. You mentioned Japan there, you just got back from a tour, how was it?

DM: It was refreshing after two years of being absent from a place that I have spent over 12 years of my career in. It was great to be back with some really good friends and a bunch of really talented guys that do business in a different way than they do here in the States. That�s always been my forte, my style, the Japanese style. It was almost like a homecoming so to speak.

JM: How many times have you been over there?

DM: Oh, I think I stopped counting after 40 or 50.

JM: How has it changed since the first time you went there to last week?

DM: Well, I think really not much changed that much. Of course, you know, like here everyone is doing more high risk things than ever, but as far as work rate goes and training and preparation of the guys over there, that hasn�t changed. That has always been something I have respected as far as a young talent that are breaking into the business as far as they are taught and take it along very slowly until they get to where they are supposed to be in the business. That part hasn�t really changed. The style and the fan appreciation, the way they appreciate the wrestlers, putting them as far as athletes go, that still remains the same. It�s just a great place to work. To me, it was a great starting ground for basic fundamentals and they teach you the respect that the wrestling business has taught me unlike some of the talent that you see in the States here. They have no respect for the business.

JM: Right, without naming any names of course.

DM: No, without naming any names.

JM: Speaking about the scene in Japan, are they starting to run more American type angles now?

DM: A little bit I think because New Japan has been influenced probably by WCW a little bit only for their working relationship and that Nitro�s air there on a weekly basis. So, they are seeing a little about American style. But still they keep their style. Their angles are different because their TV isn�t set the same as ours with the interviews and the music and all that. They are strictly wrestling, so their angles are more wrestling oriented. Excuse the oriented word there, but yeah, it seems like it especially with the NWO that took off, but it starts to fade out. They are getting more into angles than lets say 12 or 14 years ago when I began there.

JM: Any guys from New Japan coming over to WCW in the near future?

DM: There is talk of Jushin Liger coming over next month, which I hope he does.

JM: Hey, great.

DM: I would love to see guys like Otani, Kanamoto, Jashine, and some of the other Junior Heavyweights. And even some of the Heavyweight guys like Chono and Togema come over. Those guys are really talented guys. I think they would mix well with our talent in WCW. I think a lot of the smart marks out there and the people that follow the Internet and their Japanese style wrestling, it would give them a treat. We are having these guys come over here to out country and work with our talent.

JM: Well people I am sure will remember Jushin Liger�s terrific work with someone say, Brian Pillman, in WCW a few years ago. It would not be that foreign to them.

DM: No, no, but maybe the other guys. They haven�t been here in so long anyway that the wrestling fans not that they have forgotten just that they haven�t seen them in such a long period of time.

JM: As you and Chris were leaving to go to Japan, two guys joined the WCW ship, Ed Ferrera and Vince Russo. Your thoughts on the new direction for World Championship Wrestling.

DM: You know it�s funny, right before I left, I talked to Bill Busch who is heading up WCW at the moment right now and he had asked me about them coming in and I didn�t really know them, so it made it hard to give him an answer. I mentioned to him, anytime anybody coming (contributing) in a positive manner, I am all for it. One thing that I have already noticed, being back for Monday is that our show has a continuity to it, it has a flow to it that it hasn�t had in quite some time. Some of the things that I agree or don�t agree about that�s really not the point as right now that we are actually having something that you can actually turn on at 8:00 and at 11:00 feel that you have to tune in the following week or even that Thursday to see what is going to happen from that day. So, yeah, things are going in the right direction. I just hope they continue that way.

JM: Did the two guys sit down with you and talk about your character?

DM: Not as yet. I talked to them when I got back just briefly. Of course there was a pay-per-view which everyone was busy at. I don�t think they really know Dean Malenko and I really don�t know them, so it is going to take a while to get to know each other. But, I do feel more comfortable playing the role of a heel rather than a babyface.

JM: I was going to say, we all loved the heel turn. You comfortable working like a heel?

DM: Yeah, I think, not that I am a really rotten person in life, but I think it is easier for me to portray that. I think that the fans, being that I have played both sides of the fence in WCW, I feel like I can get more mileage out of the wrestling and fan appreciation as me being a heel than as a babyface. So, I am looking forward to that and I am looking forward to working with Chris again, too. So, there are two sides to every coin, you know, now I will be working against Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio, so it took me right back to four years ago when I came to WCW working with these guys. I am right back to where I want to be again.

JM: Let�s talk a little bit about the Revolution. Fans were really getting into it there and now it looks like it�s you guys split up. Any chances of you guys getting back together?

DM: Well, I wouldn�t say it is really split up, just one guy is exiting out compliments of myself.

JM: Nice chair shot. You can really swing one.

DM: That�s right. I am a heck of a swinger. But, no, me, Perry, and Shane will stay together and we will still be the Revolution like we talked about Monday. If there is a fourth member, I don�t know. Right now we have a couple of names that have been brought up, but whoever it is, it has to be the same role type person as a Perry Saturn, as a Dean Malenko, as a Shane Douglas.

JM: Would it be someone from the roster or someone from the outside?

DM: I am really not sure. There were a couple of names mentioned, but I don�t want to mention any names. Hopefully they would let us be the deciding vote on the fourth member. Right now, we really don�t need one, but now in wrestling it seems like most of the groups are groups of four. And right now, we are down to just two with Shane being out probably until December it looks like.

JM: Yeah, how is his arm?

DM: It�s good, but he was originally told from the original MRI that he had torn off the arm, the muscle 80 or 90 percent, so it was a little worse than they had anticipated when they went in for surgery. So, it is going to be a long road ahead of him, but Shane, most people out there probably already know, he is one of the best talkers on the microphone, bar none�

JM: Oh, absolutely.

DM: That we have heard in quite some time. So, actually it�s not like he�ll be missing a beat. We�ll just be missing another person in the ring. It�ll be just me and Perry, but I think we can keep our own and keep things going.

JM: Dean, what�s up with Hollywood Hogan?

DM: I have no idea and to be honest with you, I really don�t, I really don�t care.

JM: You were obviously backstage at Havoc, what happened? When they hit his music and he didn�t come out the first time�

DM: Believe it or not, I was gone after that. Usually after my match and stuff like that, I am usually out of the building. So in case anything like that does happen, I don�t want to be guilty by association.

JM: Did you ever want out of World Championship Wrestling? I mean, was there ever a time when you said, �You know, I want to see the name Malenko on the TitanTron�?

DM: Yeah, of course. I think that goes for everybody. In any type of job that you are in, you are going to have times where you just are frustrated or angry and you want to move forward and the person in charge of you isn�t giving you that direction and you want to go work for somebody else. Yeah, there was a time, there were quite a few times. But, I made a contract, an obligation to WCW and I am not one to walk out of something. I will stick with something. I am a man of my word. There�s new people in there, a new direction. I will stick around and see where this is going.

JM: Were you surprised that Bischoff got fired?

DM: Nobody really knows the story of that, whether he really got fired or moved in the company and I don�t think anybody ever will. I was surprised at the turn around that he wasn�t there. That was surprising. I always had a good relationship with Eric. Eric brought me in. Eric brought Chris in and Eddie. The money was right and the words that he told us, he pretty much stuck to his word by. He always took care of me and my family during that time when my daughter was being born and I wanted some time off to be with her. He gave me two months off, paid. He took care of Eddie and his car wreck and took care of his family, so. It�s really hard to bad rap a person that took care of the guys when they needed him. I am not an Eric Bischoff basher, or going to talk bad about the guy. I miss Eric, and whatever he does down the line, I wish he the best. Who knows, this is the wrestling business, you could turn on Nitro and see Eric walk out with me.

JM: Are you shocked about how hot of a promotion WCW has become in the last two weeks? I mean, we knew eventually that there would be some kind of turn around, but this fast?

DM: I think, I go through airports, restaurants, hotels all throughout the United States and I get the feedback from all over America and people want WCW to succeed. Believe it or not, guys at the WWF want WCW to succeed.

JM: It makes them better.

DM: Yeah, of course.

JM: The competition makes everyone better.

DM: Yeah, well what happens is, and I believe this is what happened with Eric Bischoff and WCW is after 80 weeks of being number one on Nitro, you get complacent. When you are hungry and you are number two or number three and you are climbing to get to that top spot, you�re hungry so your mind is moving and something is going and after awhile and you are number one, where do you go from there? You get a little complacent. I think Vince is starting to get that way a little bit. That�ll change and that will go back and forth. As long as one company is strong, then one company is going to exist and be out there in the forefront. They fed off us for 80 weeks, and now we are feeding off of them. So, if both companies decline, we are all in a world of distress. As long as one company is doing good, we are all okay.

JM: Do you watch either WWF or ECW on television at all?

DM: I haven�t seen the ECW show in quite some time. Especially since they joined onto TNN. Probably the last time I have seen them was a year ago. I really just don�t have the time. WWF I watch periodically just so I can see how Jericho is doing and guys that are good friends of mine. So, I�ll talk to them and they�ll ask, �So have you seen me?� and of course, I will lie and say, �No, I have never seen it.� Not so much for angles or anything like that, just to see my friends and make sure they are treated in the right manner.

JM: How do you feel about the way the WWF is treating Chris Jericho?

DM: Actually, I just talked to him about an hour ago and he is real happy up there. Chris� thing was that he wanted an opportunity. Chris was that wild stallion that was put in the barn and just not let loose and I think Vince is letting him do that. I wish Chris the best. He is a young guy with a lot of talent and I told him before he left that if Vince McMahon doesn�t do the good thing by you, then he is stupid. He�s got a world of talent right there in front of him.

JM: Yeah, he�s got can�t miss written all over him. A couple of years ago, Pro Wrestling Illustrated named you the number one wrestler in the world. What was your reaction to that?

DM: Fluke.

JM: Fluke?!?

DM: No, just kidding. I was honored, but in some light not honored for the fact that I am not really into the magazines and stuff because a lot of the magazines, unlike the ones in Japan which are more of a legit magazine and actually get the facts straight, most, or at least 90% of the time, the magazines here in the States seem like they are more like a National Inquirer/Star type of thing because they�ll do interview with the guys that have never talked to the guy that is doing the interview to write it down. I was flattered, but in some ways, I wasn�t for the fact that things being written that go along with being number one was there was nothing going on that year or Shawn Michaels wasn�t really impressive, so let�s give it to somebody type of thing. Let�s pick straws and well, Dean won. Either way, it was a nice gesture and I got a centerfold out of it that I never did do.

JM: You got that hanging up in your room, right?

DM: Yeah, right next to Miss March.

JM: Hey, what about the sheets? Do you read the Observer, the Torch, anything like that?

DM: No, I usually just put the sheets on what I am sleeping on and that�s about it.

JM: What about your thoughts on the Internet and how that has changed wrestling?

DM: Good and bad. I think it gives people out there as wrestling fans an opportunity to talk to other wrestling fans. It�s almost like, I have put it aside, it�s almost like a club out there. You know you get a bunch of people that are in these chat rooms that talk to each other about the wrestling business and stuff like that. But, it seems like the wrestlers are almost getting too involved in it. In some ways it is good, in some ways it is bad. It�s has almost become like the sheets of the computer age now. I think sometimes people read to much into what is one the Internet.

JM: Who is the most underrated guy in wrestling today?

DM: Me. No, underrated guy�that is really hard.

JM: If you had to narrow it down to say two or three guys that you look at and say, �Wow, I don�t know how this guy is not over.�

DM: Yeah. Billy Kidman and not that, well Billy Kidman is over. Maybe not from the people�s standpoint that they think he should be, but I work most of the house shows unlike most of the guys in our company and I don�t want to mention any names, but I am out there with Billy a lot and I will tell you, of all the guys that are on the shows, with maybe the exception of Goldberg and even some of our top guys, Billy and Rey probably get the biggest pop night in and night out in any town in the United States. Bar none. And, I have said this before in an interview a couple of weeks back, Billy, in the last year, has improved more than anyone I have seen in a long, long time. Billy was good two years ago, but from where he has gone then to where he is now is incredible. He�s a really good talent. He reminds me a lot of an American version of Otani in Japan.

JM: Wow, what a compliment.

DM: He�s got great facial expressions. He�s got really good movement in the ring. He�s able to follow the guy that he is with a lot. He�s got a look about him and he�s got that look about him that the girls just really like. We call him a chick magnet as a work. He�s a guy, to me he is the future of this business as far as babyfaces go.

JM: Dean, we do a segment on the show, what I can�t figure out about wrestling is. Dean Malenko, what can�t you figure out about wrestling in 1999? What is the one thing that still baffles you?

DM: Why it has to be so difficult. Out business is a very simple business, it�s not something that takes a rocket scientist to figure out, it just seems that. I think A, number one, the major problem is that there are so many egos involved. Everybody wants to be the top guy. Everybody wants to run their own program. Everybody wants to run the show and instead of everybody working against each other, working with each other because the bottom line is that if the show is successful, then everybody becomes successful with new contracts, with more money. It seems like everybody is fighting each other because they want to win or lose and that is not about our business. It�s not about how many W�s are in the column or how many L�s are in the column, it�s about going out there and giving the best that you�ve got. The one thing, and I have said this before, the reason why the guys get into the wrestling business is because they don�t want to sit behind a desk, 9 to 5, pushing a pencil, making minimum wage with a guy behind them telling them what a jerk they are or that they�ve got to do this or got to do that. That is the reason why most of the guys get in the business. It�s something they have always wanted to do. It�s a kids activity that you did when you were a kid out in your grass with your next door neighbor and you are getting paid 6-figures to do it. What a great job.

JM: I was going to say, does it feel like a job?

DM: Exactly. It becomes a job because it has gotten so political now, especially with both companies here in the States. This is one of the reasons why I have always enjoyed Japan because even if it is political over there and they are talking about you, I don�t understand Japanese anyway, so I don�t care.

JM: You know, that was one of my questions earlier. How do you communicate with someone in the ring who doesn�t speak your language?

DM: Over there it is so different, they do speak English to a certain extent, but the Japanese as you�ve seen for years through electronics through cars, they are great imitators and they�re great followers of anything anybody does and it�s just a chemistry between two guys in the ring. There are some guys in the States that have to write things down, that they have to talk to you three hours before a match and they would never survive in Japan. They wouldn�t make it one night in Japan. To me, that is why it was such a good training ground, training tool for guys like me, guys like Benoit, guys like Guerrero and Jericho for going there and mastering that type of business to back over here to the States.

JM: Dean, we have got to get out of here, but really quickly before we go. Can you give us a tease? What�s up for Dean Malenko in the next few shows?

DM: Oh, God, I don�t know. I think, hopefully, that these guys will start knowing what we are going to do at least two or three months down the line because it really helps me as an individual and it really helps the other guys because for so long we were showing up on Monday�s and it�s five minutes until 8:00, start time, and people were still running around in the back, �What am I doing? What am I doing?� I am a real professional at what I do and I am real, when it comes down to bit and pieces, the details stuff, I really look for that. I take a lot of pride in what I do and I want to do the best I can. In order to do that, I need to know the direction that I am going. Right now, I think I am going to be doing a lot of stuff with Chris, a lot of stuff with the Filthy Animals, so that involves getting in the ring with the Eddie Guerrero�s, the Rey Mysterio�s, the Kidman�s and Benoit. Nothing but good things ahead, I hope. I am keeping my fingers crossed because good things come and go so quickly in the wrestling business. I hope that the new people taking over it is the right format and WCW goes back to being number one again.

JM: Best of luck, Dean Malenko. We wish you the best success in the next few weeks to come. Thanks for joining us on Live Audio Wrestling.

DM: Thank you, Jeff. I really appreciate it.