Meltzer has credible sources but now, he just doesn't. The Rabid Wolverine delivered an all-time classic against Triple H and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XX as well. Writer: The Life & Times of Abdullah the Butcher. AEW's Battle With WWE Is Heating Up. You call this Harpo Marx motherfucker a goddamn "genius" at match layout, better'n Flair/Steamboat, blah fuckin blah. Once again, the length hurts the match, as it was a long affair with boring stretches, and the dead crowd is proof of that. Edge e Beth Phoenix: 4. Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar: 2.25. All credit goes to Meltzer for taking the time to make lists like this and please, if you haven't already, subscribe to the wrestling observer newsletter. Meltzer rated it 4.5 stars. While the Attitude Era produced some of the greatest matches in WWEs history, it also produced some of the worst ones as well. This wasn't a bad match by any means, just far below the expectations and the actual rating from Dave Meltzer. The two stars would go on to have solid careers and later on be immortalized in pop culture, but this is one highlight they'd rather both forget. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. For more information, please see our We all have fresh memories, so we should all agree that this is not a five-star match, right? The first match rated more than five stars by Meltzer was Ric . To date he has rated 208 matches five stars (or above). Worst WWE Matches Ever. Flair is undoubtedly one of the greatest of all time, and although his career has gone on far longer than it should (on more than one occasion), there is no denying that there have been some all-time classics over the years in a range of different wrestling promotions. Support began to dwindle upon Reigns's transition to a heroic main event singles act in 2014, largely due to his . In this documentary, we examine the history o. by . The wrestling promoters booked the show and in hundreds of closed-circuit locations around the country. Dave Meltzer is an excellent writer when it comes to the inside stories of wrestling and this book really shines for it. The match was too long and became a bit mind-numbing in the first 20 minutes. but it was the story that carried this match to the rating it received from Meltzer. NOAH Keiji Muto Grand Final Pro-Wrestling "Last" Love Hold Out: Kazuchika Okada: Kaito Kiyomiya +4.75 Sun, Feb 19th 2023: AJPW Excite Series 2023 - Day 2: Pro-Wrestling Day MANIAx: Yuji Nagata: Kento Miyahara +4.75 Sat, Feb 18th 2023: WWE Elimination Chamber 2023: Roman Reigns: Sami Zayn +4.75 Sat, Feb 11th 2023: NJPW The New Beginning In Osaka . In World of Wrestling, Trying to Keep It Real. 23 Feb 2023 10:31:44 Without further ado, let's take a look at 10 wrestling matches that Dave Meltzer has over rated. RELATED: 5 Kenny Omega Matches Dave Meltzer Overrated (& 5 He Underrated). David Allen Meltzer (born October 24, 1959) is an American journalist and sports historian who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts.He is also a frequent lecturer on many aspects of the business of MMA, professional wrestling, and boxing at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University.. The three judges at ringside and the grand entrances both added to the feeling of this being the culmination of their feud and a huge championship fight. However, regardless of what Dave Meltzer says, this match was ordinary. The Young Bucks heel persona was on full display in this match, proving to be naturals in that role. Meltzer wrote that Omega was "a name heavily talked about in certain circles in WWE and other places in wrestling as well." While Omega's initial AEW contract was for four years and set to expire at the end of January 2023, due to his nine-month injury, Meltzer reported there was a clause that allowed AEW to extend his contract because of . and our One of the most exciting aspects of watching a wrestling Pay-Per-View, or a Premium Live Event, as WWE calls it, is giving every . The triple threat bout showcased the three ring generals in their prime and is cited as one of the greatest 'Mania main events of all time. With the lack of a referee, the wrestlers had to take their own counts once they had the opponent pinned to the ground. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes, AEW Double Or Nothing 2019 - 5 Stars. By Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Sep 27, 2021. Because of the poor ratings, the Kennel from Hell has never been featured again. The highest-ever rating is seven stars, awarded to Kazuchika Okada vs Kenny Omega at Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall in June 2018. 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. It was bloody, violent, and creative with many scary looking spots and hard-hitting bumps, including a crazy leap from Rey Fenix off the top of the cage. Sometimes, the founder of the WON can give too high a rating! The idea was to combine the boxing audience with its biggest draw, and the wrestling audience by using Andre the Giant (against boxer Chuck Wepner) and closed circuit of top stars in the area. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. On September 4, 2021, Jeff Cobb scored one of the biggest wins of his career by defeating Kazuchika Okada in a great bout, but it was nothing extraordinary as Dave Meltzer thinks it was. Jannetty and Michaels had a lot of chemistry and that made this match flawless. Top 10 Wrestlemanias based on Dave Meltzer Ratings. It was certainly a memorable match, but it wasn't good enough to merit 4 stars. Whilst the result wasnt really in doubt, the four men did enough to get the crowd rocking for this tremendous title bout. Johnny Gargano vs Adam Cole (2019) 33%. The man responsible for the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has been the source for wrestling news for decades, and his status as the king of scoops still looks incredibly secure. Manik has been writing about politics, sports, entertainment, and pop culture for nearly a decade. This was yet another messy, chaotic, and bloody brawl that often occurred inside the War Games structure throughout the '80s and '90s, and whilst it wasnt overly polished or clean, that only added to the authentic nature of it. Now Dave has a tendency to report on things and be wrong, however he is . The Heartbreak Kid, alongside the late great Scott Hall, gave WWE their first-ever five-star match at WrestleMania X. Emotions were at an all-time high as The Rock took on Hogan in an "icon vs. icon" match at WrestleMania X8. Dubbed Kennel from Hell," this match was held in a double cage where the winner had to escape both cages to win. The two superstars told an incredible story as they stayed inside the ring for the whole duration of the match. Aside from providing insider knowledge (and annoying Jim Cornette), Meltzer is also known for his star rating system. It wasnt a spot-fest like modern War Games matches, but it was certainly a fight, and it worked at introducing fans to the concept. WhatCulture is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Renowned wrestling journalist, Dave Meltzer has been rating wrestling matches since 1982. Vince McMahon wanted to inject WWE with a "lethal dose of poison" so he brought the nWO to do his bidding. Below is a recent heated Twitter exchange between Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer and Old School Wrestling Legend Jim Cornette over AEW wrestler Kenny Omega: Dave I've been sick all week so fuck it. I voti di Dave Meltzer per Elimination Chamber 2023. It is rated 4.75 by the Observer. Dave Meltzer's ratings show that there was a major gap from February to September in terms of top match rating really reflects the stoppage in place. Look at cage match ratings for 2022. This was another example of Flair and Windham not being able to get the better of each other in a World Heavyweight Championship match, with this one ending in a double count-out following an epic 41-minute battle. 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. Filled with lots of strange gimmicks, the match ended up becoming too painful for fans to watch. Japanese matches dominating the top spots does not necessarily mean a bias. Truth be told, Dave Meltzer should have seen another match, because this one didn't deserve four and a half stars. Privacy Policy. Dave Meltzer. Meltzer rated this match four stars, but frankly, this bout didn't deserve more than three stars, as it was pretty bad. Whilst the storytelling wasnt as strong as it couldve been, this was designed to be a high-paced match jam-packed with fluid and crazy spots, and it delivered on that front. It did feel like an authentic, bloody, and brutal fight between 10 men who hated each other. Jacob Simmons has a great many passions, including professional wrestling, music, watching random clips from The Simpsons on YouTube at 3am, and writing about himself in the third person. One of Michaels many splendid performances came against Mick Foley in the September 1996, when he defended the WWE Championship against Foleys alter ego Mankind at In Your House 10: Mind Games. The trilogy of classics between these two all offered something different, with fan opinion varying on which is their favorite, but this was certainly the most decisive of the three in terms of finish. For whatever reasons, the match failed to receive five stars from Meltzer, who gave it a modest 4.75. However, lately, Meltzer often gives five stars to some matches that clearly don't deserve that perfect rating. However, despite all the pressure, the two teams managed to put on the classic that had been promised. When it comes to not just in AEW, but to tag team wrestling as a whole, there may be no better tag team match in history than this one. His first match was at WrestleMania 3 against The Game, Triple H. Upon his return to the WWE, everything that the Ultimate Warrior tried doing never felt quite right. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). It was compiled by Dave Meltzer and published in the wrestling observer in 2008. RELATED: 10 AEW PPV Matches Dave Meltzer Overrated. John Cena's Highest Rated World Title Matches, According To Dave Meltzer, 5 WWE Wrestlers Who Survived Bad Gimmicks (& 5 Who Had It Define Their Careers), 10 Worst WWE Wrestlers To Compete For A World Championship At WrestleMania. It has previously been noted that Ronda Rousey would be challenging for the Women's Tag Team titles, so in the eyes of WWE, this makes that match even bigger. Dave has rated thousands and thousands of match on a scale of 0-5 (or higher) since the very first edition of the Observer came out, and his scores are still highly regarded and coveted by those in the industry. Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson at Lockdown 2010 ( 4.5 ). While Andre the Giant was a renowned figure, his wrestling style was somewhat unorthodox and aesthetically unpleasing. Roberth Prez is a journalist extremely passionate about sports and its stats. 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. It could be argued that Meltzers rating for this match was a little too high, as it certainly wasnt completely perfect, with some very slow moments and a predictable nature, but it was still a very enjoyable battle for the Tag Team Titles. 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. The chemistry that these two men have is unteachable. For a better part of the match, Finlay took on the Little Boogeyman. The iconic stable's arrival in WWE led to one of the greatest matches in . To make matters worse, thefight actually ended in a disqualification. are well worth the acclaim that this bout received. Ric Flair has finally wrestled his last match, which makes it high time to look at what Dave Meltzer has rated to be his 10 greatest ever matches. Free shipping for many products! Dave Meltzer clarified Omega's contract status in this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required), explaining that it had indeed been extended but there was uncertainty as to exactly how long. 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