Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 7: Sting vs. Dean Malenko (Nitro 11/13/95)

Here’s a bizarre match up I never knew about. You gotta love Nitro. Really interesting match ups in the deepest talent pool to that point in wrestling time. Sting has the height and size advantage, but thankfully they play this as Malenko having the wrestling skill to frustrate the bigger man. I believe Malenko is the subtle heel here, but we’ll see.

Really good match lay out as Malenko goes right for Sting’s knee early and the utilize Malenko’s speed and move knowledge to get over Sting being in trouble. Unlike in the Flair matches with Sting, he only comes back in short powerful spurts here, and then gets grounded again by Malenko’s strikes to the knee. Malenko goes for his Texas Cloverleaf finish and Sting rolls him up for a flash pin in about 8 minutes. The match didn’t hurt Malenko, and showed Sting to be a wily veteran. I dug this one. 3 stars and 6/10.