Update: PWInsider.com is now confirming the details of Sports Illustrated’s original report that Malenko did quit WWE as “100% correct.” It was noted that despite several sources implying Malenko’s departure was not his choice, it has since been re-confirmed that Malenko gave his notice and quit.
The initial report from PWInsider implied Malenko might have been let go by the company, and it could have been a case of WWE replacing the ‘old guard’ with the new group of incoming producers in recent months. Despite the confusion in how Malenko left the company, his departure was official as of yesterday.
As reported by Sports Illustrated, former WCW star Dean Malenko has left his WWE backstage role. Malenko first started working for WWE in 2000, working in a backstage capacity since he retired from in-ring competition the following year. His prolific career as a technical wrestler was no doubt an asset for any superstar who wanted to compete at a level beyond WWE’s standard fare.
In his wrestling career, Dean was known as the “Man of 1000 Holds.” That nickname would be forever remembered as the fodder for one of Chris Jericho’s most infamous segments, where he read off a printed list of all 1,004 holds he knew. A second-generation performer, Dean had runs in all three major North American promotions in the 1990s.
