Although never a world champion, Malenko achieved championship success in ECW, WCW and the WWF, winning 11 total titles between the three organizations. Pro Wrestling Illustrated named Malenko the #1 wrestler in the world in 1997, and he was inducted into the Hardcore Hall of Fame in 2015. He has been recognized by commentators as one of the most underrated wrestlers of all time.Top 20 Underrated Wrestlers of All Time Five-time WWE world champion Daniel Bryan said that his "number one guy, growing up, was Dean Malenko". Following his retirement, he worked as a road agent for WWE for 18 years from 2001 until 2019.
