Chris Benoit
His close friend Eddie Guerrero died on November 13, 2005 and Malenko made a special appearance on the November 14 edition of "Raw" alongside Chris Benoit. The following Friday on "SmackDown!", Malenko once again appeared after a match between Chris Benoit and Triple H, and the three embraced. After the 2006 Royal Rumble, he was seen congratulating Rey Mysterio on his Rumble victory. At in June 2007, he appeared in a backstage segment watching Chavo Guerrero. The next night on the Chris Benoit memorial episode of Monday Night Raw, he talked about the life of Chris Benoit. He was very sad since two of his close friends, Eddie and Benoit, both died, but said he was happy that they were together again.