This biography of a living person does not cite any references or sources. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately. (March 2007) Find sources: (Joe Malenko – news, books, scholar)

Joe Simon
Ring name(s)	Joe Malenko Joe Solkoff
Billed height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Billed weight	225 lb (102 kg)
Born	June 4, 1955 (1955-06-04) (age 54) Tampa, Florida, United States
Resides	Tampa, Florida
Trained by	Boris Malenko Hiro Matsuda
Debut	1977
Retired	1996

Joe Simon (born June 4, 1955) is a former professional wrestler best known under the ring name Joe Malenko. Malenko was born into a wrestling family, and his father Boris Malenko was a prominent wrestling figure in his own right. Dean Malenko is his brother.

Contents 1 Wrestling career 1.1 Japan 1.2 North America 2 Championships and accomplishments

[edit] Wrestling career

[edit] Japan

Malenko is most known for his stints wrestling in Japan. Malenko began in the Universal Wrestling Federation (Japan) in May 1985 for 13 days. One of his most well known matches in the UWF was his tag match with Super Tiger where they faced the team of Yoshiaki Fujiwara and Osamu Kido.

Malenko would then team up with his brother, Dean, in All Japan Pro Wrestling to form "The Malenko Brothers". Malenko would tour regularly with All Japan from February 1988 until May 1992. Malenko had two reigns as AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship. From late 1989 to early 1990, he teamed with Kenta Kobashi against the Can-Am Express (Dan Kroffat and Doug Furnas) for the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship. Joe's most memorable matches came in his match versus his brother, Dean and when they (the Malenko Brothers) faced the British Bulldogs (Johnny Smith and Dynamite Kid) during Giant Baba's 30th Wrestling Anniversary on September 30, 1990. Malenko and Dean's only chance for the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championships was against the Can-Am Express on March 4, 1992 in Tokyo, Japan.

[edit] North America

Malenko made an appearance in World Championship Wrestling in the year of 1992 during the Clash of the Champions XIX. He teamed with his brother to take on the team of Nikita Koloff and Ricky Steamboat in the first of round of a tournament held for the NWA World Tag Team Titles. "The Malenko Brothers" came up short, Dean was later brought back to WCW. Next Joe and Dean travelled to Puerto Rico to take part in the World Wrestling Council's 19th Anniversary show. They were defeated Steve Doll and Rex King, who at the time were the WWC Tag Team Champions.

Malenko made his first appearance in Extreme Championship Wrestling on November 18, 1994. He once again teamed up with his brother, Dean, to take on the team of Sabu and the Tazmanic, but lost. Dean continued to work ECW, but Malenko mainly stayed worked on Florida ECW shows. He worked ECW's first run of Florida shows in 1995 against Stevie Richards (in Davie) and Osamu Nishimura (in Orlando). He drew with both.

When ECW returned to Florida in May, Malenko was once again featured on the opening matches of the card. ECW made its first appearance at the War Memorial Auditorium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on May 5, 1995. Malenko defeated local Florida indy wrestler, and acquaintance from his father's Tampa school, Soulman Alex G. The next night in Tampa, Malenko defeated Miguel San Juan.

On the May 11, 1998 edition of WCW Monday Nitro, Joe Malenko came out and confronted Chris Jericho, who had been in a feud with Dean for weeks. However, the confrontation only led to an attack by Jericho.

Malenko is retired from wrestling and is a registered pharmacist in Florida.

[edit] Championships and accomplishments

• All Japan Pro Wrestling

• AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times)