Some of these matches were so terrible that they even received negative ratings from critics. The first match rated more than five stars by Meltzer was Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat in 1989. 1 Ricky Steamboat Vs Ric Flair, NWA House Show, 1989 (6 Stars) Amongst their classic trilogy, Steamboat and Flair worked the house show circuit, with this match in March standing out as one of the few matches to break Dave Meltzer's 5 Star Rating, by achieving an astonishing 6 Stars. Dave Meltzer's star rating system has become the widely accepted standard for rating wrestling matches. As a wrestler, Boogeymen was quite competitive and holds wins against big names likeBooker T andThe Miz. The iconic stables arrival in WWE led to one of the greatest matches in wrestling history. Ted Dibiase vs Junkyard Dog (1982) 33%. There were table spots, blood, and even a suplex on the apron, making it unique from anything around that period. Bret and Owen would eventually get their full five stars at SummerSlam later that year. VIDEO: Dave Meltzer talks AEW needing a top babyface. WrestleMania X-Seven (2001 TV Special) The Rock defends the WWF Championship against "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Mick Foley made stars out of a myriad of performers including Triple H, who became a solidified main-eventer after this barbaric rivalry with Mrs. Foleys baby boy. There were several death-defying spots, particularly from Guevara who delivered a scary swanton bomb from atop a ladder, and an insane springboard cutter from a ladder too, which brought the audience to their feet. For more information, please see our Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. Despite how great it was, the match received 4.75 stars from Meltzer, who rated that night's iconic ladder match between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon five stars. Because of the poor ratings, the Kennel from Hell has never been featured again. Currently unavailable. Without further delay, hereare the 10 worst wrestling matches according to Dave Meltzer. Manik has been writing about politics, sports, entertainment, and pop culture for nearly a decade. The Undertaker versus Shawn Michaels from 2009 is unquestionably one of the greatest matches of all time. The bout truly deserves five stars for the incredible story it told. The only thing worth watching is the final five minutes, in which Sammy Guevara steals the show. It was emotional, brutal, and full of potential avenues which made it incredibly unpredictable. Recently at Full Gear 2021, The Inner Circle (Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, Ortiz, Sammy Guevara, and Santana) took on American Top Team (Andrei Arlovski, Dan Lambert, and Junior Dos Santos) and Men Of The Year (Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky) in a 10-Man Tag Team Minneapolis Street Fight. 10 Lex Luger Vs. Meng - Halloween Havoc 1995 (-1 Stars) In this match, Meng faced off against Lex Luger, with the winner getting a shot at Savage. Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi, NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 Day 1 - 5.75 Stars RELATED: 10 Wrestlers You Won't Believe Never Got A 5-Star Rating From Dave Meltzer. This match was rated 4.25 stars. There are some names that appear multiple times too, standing out as the top performers in the promotion since its birth back in 2019. Omega and Okada would also win the PWI Feud of the Year in 2017, the first time a feud from a wrestling company outside the Unites States would win that award. This list will examine 10 forgotten WCW matches that received very low marks (all receiving a less than 0 rating) from Dave Meltzer on his 5-star scale. After taking a break from the WWE, the Ultimate Warrior finally returned to professional wrestling in 1996. Feb 23, 2023 at 12:07pm gnr123 said: Says the guy who's been trying to manufacture hate for Cody Rhodes for weeks now. While Andre the Giant was a renowned figure, his wrestling style was somewhat unorthodox and aesthetically unpleasing. August 10, 2022 3:40 pm ET. While this match started at a fantastic pace, it got boringit progressed. Flair would go onto have ten more perfect matches across his storied career, bringing his total to 11. This wasn't a bad match by any means, just far below the expectations and the actual rating from Dave Meltzer. Considering the type of matches he has been in before, this match-up placed him in slightly different terrain. Amongst their classic trilogy, Steamboat and Flair worked the house show circuit, with this match in March standing out as one of the few matches to break Dave Meltzers 5 Star Rating, by achieving an astonishing 6 Stars. Danielson was brutal in his attacks on Pages arm, and things rose to dramatic heights once there was blood involved too. What followed was an incredible display of action and athleticism. He is considered as one of the top journalists in the entertainment industry and is majorly known for covering professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Paperback. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. Flair ruled the 80s when it came to perfect scores with all but one of his 5+ star matches taking place in the decade. There isnt much clear footage of this match, but in the videos that remain, the intensity is still palpable. Johnny Gargano vs Adam Cole (2019) 33%. What percentage of the best wrestlers and best shows in the world are in WWE or from WWE? RELATED: WWE: Every No Mercy Event Ever, Ranked. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2001 Wrestling Book Tributes by Dave Meltzer Wrestling Observer Obituary Andre + at the best online prices at eBay! This is a list of both active and inactive Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards created by professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) journalist Dave Meltzer.The first fourteen awards were created in 1980 as an informal poll between Meltzer and his friends and others he corresponded with on the subject of professional wrestling at the time. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. But which grapplers are in double figures when it comes to perfect matches? John Cena vs John Laurinaitis - Over the Limit 2012 (0.80 Rating) Starting the list if a match between a man who has received a five star match from Dave Meltzer, and John Cena. A five-star match should be exceptional, flawless, perfect, a masterpiece, simply an all-time classic. the four men did enough to get the crowd rocking for this tremendous title bout. Frankly, the match was pretty good, but it was nowhere near deserving of a four and a half star rating. The in-ring work itself was perfect, with great tag team psychology and sequences, but it was the nuance, storytelling, and great moments which took this to a 6-star level of match. When it comes to the 10 best-rated title matches in AEW, per Dave Meltzer, the AEW World Championship, Tag Team Titles, and TNT Championship all make an appearance. Finn Blor e Rhea Ripley vs. Kanes 10 Best Matches, According To Dave Meltzer. After a great match prior to this which saw a title change, the stakes were heightened as this was a Two out of Three Falls Match, which lasted for nearly a whole hour. It goes without saying that Meltzer has looked at some of the best matches in the WWE and some of the worst in its history. While the topic itself is pretty subjective, there are matches that have received acclaim from fans and professional critics alike. This was an incredibly historic match, although the rating itself may be solely due to how good the concept of the War Games match was, rather than the in-ring quality itself. Meltzer gave Cena vs. Styles 4.75 stars. Dave Meltzer is the most prestigious wrestling journalist of all and his match rating system is so good that people value his opinion too much. The match is a five-star classic in the eyes of many fans. WWE bouts such as The Undertaker versus Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 25, as well as the incredible triple threat main event of WrestleMania 20, have continued to receive widespread praise for their overall excellence. Everything about this match was perfect, with it wrapping their trilogy of wonderful World Title matches in 1989, spread across several big shows. Ever the consummate professionals, The Rock and Hogan capitalized on the crowd reaction to deliver a match for the ages. Aside from providing insider knowledge (and annoying Jim Cornette), Meltzer is also known for his star rating system. It is arguable as to whether this warranted an extra star rating over the other matches, but there is no denying that it is still in that same threshold of unbelievable quality. The Royal Family consists of Jerry the King Lawler and three mini-Lawlers, while the Clowns R' Us consists of Doink the Clown and three mini-Doinks. Jerry Lawler vs Tommy Rich/Austin Idol (1987) 33%. His contract was said to be up early in 2023, but several outlets noted that it may have been extended due to time missed to injury. It was a Street Fight in every sense of the word and involved the use of gnarling foreign objects. ( CHRISTIE, Stuart, Martyn Everett, Albert Meltzer, Dave Poole | Jan 1, 1977. Despite their incredible status in the eyes of many wrestling fans, however, neither of the two matches have had the privilege of receiving the five star label from Dave Meltzer; whose opinion on the subject is considered an authority by a large section of wrestling fans in spite of his very own admission that the ratings system reflects his personal take on the overall match quality. This had a mixture of great mat wrestling, stiff blows, and a whole of other great action in between, which ended with Steamboat winning the title after a shocking roll-up, but it felt like the perfect way for the belt to change hands. Wrestling Book by Lynn Denton and Joe Vithayathil. Bryan Danielson put together one of . After all, the 45-year-old Lesnar is a former 10-time WWE World/Universal Champion that has headlined five WrestleManias including WrestleMania 38 last year. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Best match I'd ever seen live up to that point. An unsurprising start, The Nature Boy was part of the unofficial first 5 star Meltzer match when he took on Butch Reed at a Florida wrestling event in 1982. Kurt Angle vs Jeff Hardy at No . Whilst the result was never really in question, the in-ring work between Kenny Omega and Rey Fenix was a thing of beauty, with it mixing together hard-hitting blows and insanely athletic offense. On paper, a match-up between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant is a crowd puller. With the lack of a referee, the wrestlers had to take their own counts once they had the opponent pinned to the ground. There were a number of botches and the finish was rather abrupt. Pro wrestling pundit and critic Dave Meltzer knows what makes a good bout, but he also saw some of the worst. It did feel like an authentic, bloody, and brutal fight between 10 men who hated each other. The star ratings Meltzer gives to matches is widely debated among fans, especially his more . The match against Goldust was not only filled with offensive chants from the WWE universe but strange performances and gimmicksthat did either star little favors. When it comes to televised tag team matches, there hasnt been too many that have been on the level of this Tag Team Title match. By Dave Meltzer Nov 24, 2022. Davey Boy Smith. RELATED: 10 AEW PPV Matches Dave Meltzer Overrated. 5* | Sat, Oct 21st 2017 | PWG All Star Weekend 13 - Night 2 | WALTER vs. Zack Sabre Jr. 5* | Sun, Sep 3rd 2017 | PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2017 - Day 3 | Keith Lee vs. Donovan Dijak, 5* | Fri, Aug 11th 2017 | NJPW G1 Climax 2017 - Day 17 | Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, 5* | Sat, Jun 3rd 2017 | NJPW Best Of The Super Juniors 2017 - Day 14 | KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay, 5* | Sun, Apr 9th 2017 | NJPW Sakura Genesis | Kazuchika Okada vs. Katsuyori Shibata, 5* | Sat, Feb 11th 2017 | NJPW The New Beginning In Osaka | Tetsuya Naito vs. Michael Elgin, 5* | Sat, Sep 3rd 2016 | PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016 - Night 2 | Will Ospreay, Ricochet, Matt Sydal vs. Nick Jackson, Adam Cole, Matt Jackson (6-Man Tag), 5* | Sat, Aug 13th 2016 | NJPW G1 Climax 26 | Kenny Omega vs. Tetsuya Naito, 5* | Sat, Aug 6th 2016 NJPW G1 Climax 26 | Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kazuchika Okada, 5* | Mon, Jan 4th 2016 | NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 | Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, 5* | Sun, Aug 16th 2015 | NJPW G1 Climax 25 | Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, 5* | Sat, Feb 14th 2015 | NJPW The New Beginning In Sendai '15 | Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tomoaki Honma, 5* | Sun, Jan 4th 2015 | NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 9 | Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kota Ibushi, 5* | Sun, Sep 21st 2014 | NJPW Destruction In Kobe '14 | Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Katsuyori Shibata, 5* | Mon, Oct 14th 2013 | NJPW King Of Pro Wrestling '13 | Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, 5* | Sat, Aug 3rd 2013 | NJPW G1 Climax 23 | Tomohiro Ishii vs. Katsuyori Shibata, 5* | Sat, Apr 6th 2013 | NJPW Invasion Attack | Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, 5* | Mon, Oct 8th 2012 | NJPW King Of Pro Wrestling | Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki, 5* | Sat, Mar 31st 2012 | ROH Showdown In The Sun | Davey Richards vs. Michael Elgin, 5* | Sun, Jul 17th 2011 | WWE Money In The Bank | C. M. Punk vs. John Cena, 5* | Fri, Mar 31st 2006 | ROH Supercard Of Honor | Ryo Saito, Dragon Kid, Genki Horiguchi CIMA, Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino (6-Man Tag), 5* | Sat, Oct 1st 2005 | ROH |Kenta Kobashi vs. Samoa Joe, 5* | Sun, Sep 11th 2005 | TNA Unbreakable | A.J. Davey Boy Smith, or The British Bulldog, was one of the great technical wizards of the '80s and '90s, wrestling great matches all across the world. Meltzer rated it 4.5 stars. Meltzer rated it 4.5 stars. Dave Meltzer has a top 10 when it comes to the best AEW matches. Writing in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer stated that the switch came as WrestleMania is about "marquee matches.". To Dave Meltzer CHRISTIE, Stuart, Martyn Everett, Albert Meltzer, Dave Poole | 1! Manik has been writing about politics, sports, entertainment and crazy facts which Sammy Guevara steals show... The worst while Andre the Giant was a renowned figure, his wrestling style somewhat... 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Knowledge ( and annoying Jim Cornette ), Meltzer is also known for his star rating a. # x27 ; s star rating Meltzer, Dave Poole | Jan 1 1977. Counts once they had the opponent pinned to the ground 10-time WWE World/Universal that! Referee dave meltzer top 10 wrestlers the match is a former 10-time WWE World/Universal Champion that has headlined five including... To take their own counts once they had the opponent pinned to the.... The worst a match for the ages favorite celebs, reality TV, and things to...