[7.0] "If Joe had a few extra inches on him and he'd been brought in ten years earlier I think he would've been a world champion, honestly. He was a fantastic technical wrestler and on the rare occasion he got to have a match free of Dean and the expectations that came with that he was generally great; his match in Battlarts and his PWFG stints showcased a side of him that could've been way better than it was as this hard-hitting and intelligent mat-wrestler. Alas, he was mostly known as a modern day Dory Funk; great wrestler, boring cut and dry persona. Dean like Terry adapted to the times and adopted a more conventional faster Jr heavyweight pace while Joe did not, and like Dory he quickly faded into the sidelines bar the occasional returning match. His AJPW return stint in 2008 with Nishimura actually rules and it's such a shame that era wasn't more accessible because he looked as good as he did in the 90's."
[7.0] "As far as Malenko's time spent in All Japan, it's obvious that it was Joe who was the star, not the other way round. A sound wrestler, one of the best mat technicians to ever do it. But in that period of time All Japan, and wrestling in general, went through some changes and it was hardly any place for kinda bland and boring, no character guys like Joe Malenko. His tag match with Kikuchi is a must watch, but definitely not because of Joe, although the progress is clear when compared to his earlier matches. Had he not retire pretty quickly, he might've had more successful career."