Rick Del Santo's Classic Wrestling Talk w/Joe Malenko

On this episode of Rick Del Santo’s Classic Pro Wrestling Talk, Rick sits down with Joe Malenko, born Jody Simon, for a wide-ranging conversation about growing up inside the wrestling business, learning under some of the greatest technical minds in the world, and building a career that took him from the territories to Mexico, Japan, ECW, and beyond.Joe talks openly about life as the son of the legendary Boris Malenko, explaining that before he fully understood his father’s reputation, Boris was simply “Pop.” He shares what it was like being around the territory system as a kid, traveling with his family, seeing fans react to his father in public, and slowly realizing just how important his dad was to different wrestling markets around the country.The conversation also digs into Joe’s own path into wrestling. Unlike his brother Dean Malenko, who knew from early on that he wanted to chase professional wrestling full-time, Joe explains that he always had multiple interests and never wanted wrestling to be the only thing in his life. Still, he trained seriously, learned from his father, worked with Carl Gotch, and eventually found his best fit in Japan, where the respect for combat sports and the boys made it the perfect place for him to work.One of the strongest parts of this interview is Joe’s perspective on wrestling psychology. He is honest about being old-school in what he enjoys, but he does not dismiss modern wrestlers just because the style has changed. Instead, he talks about the difference between preference and quality, while making the case that intensity, believability, timing, and doing the right thing at the right moment can still make an audience believe.Joe also shares a great story about working Randy Savage and taking a bump so convincingly that even Boris Malenko briefly thought he might have really been hurt. For Joe, that proves the point: if you can make someone like Boris Malenko believe for even a second, then kayfabe is not dead.This is a thoughtful, funny, and deeply insightful conversation with a man who has lived wrestling from several different angles as son of a legend, trained shooter, junior heavyweight, Japan regular, pharmacist, musician, and someone who still cares deeply about the craft. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★