Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 84: Chris Benoit vs. Dean Malenko (Nitro 1/12/98)

Here’s a match-up of future tag partners, Radicalz and Horseman, and great friends that I would have liked to see more often on the set. I’ll take what I can get though, so here we go.

These two really muscle each other around doing holds and create some pins, which I like. Not a lot of daylight between moves, and they really don’t need to strike to be affective, but they certainly do that too. These two make chops and shoulder blocks major match points. Good stuff.

They trade side suplexes and Benoit comes out in control. The match progressive well as they weave in headlocks or arm submissions the even the pace out. Benoit powers out of one to a nice crowd reaction. Counter after counter into a German suplex for Malenko. Benoit with a cradle out of a Texas Clover leaf attempt. Benoit gets a crippler cross face attempt. They do several pin attempts before Benoit catches Malenko in the Crossface for the tap out win in 7 minutes. Post match Raven comes from his ringside seat to hit a DDT on Benoit, building to a match between them.

This is where my job gets hard weeding through so many great matches. This type of match is equal to a seven minute Rey Jr. Lucha match, and even some hybrid stuff done with Eddie Guerrero. I like this a tad more, but I almost feel bad scoring others with a 2 ¾ to 3 ¼ based on being under ten minutes. This was too after all. This is where having others pitch in for a final ballot rather than being the singular ballot sucks. 3 ½ and 7/10.