Ever get into a screaming match on Twitter—sorry, "X"—about whether a random match on a Tuesday night was actually "perfect"? If you’re a wrestling fan, you’ve been there. We live and die by the list of 5 star matches curated by Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Some people treat that list like the Literal Holy Bible of Grappling. Others think it’s just the biased ramblings of one guy who really likes guys in kick pads doing 450 splashes in Tokyo.
Honestly? It’s probably both.
But here’s the thing: those stars change careers. When a match hits that five-star (or six, or seven... yeah, we'll get to that) threshold, it’s not just a pat on the back. It’s a massive signal flare to the entire industry. It says "Watch this right now."
What even makes a match five stars?
People always ask for the "criteria." Dave says it’s a mix of work rate, storytelling, and crowd reaction. Basically, does the match make you lose your mind? If you’re watching a technical masterclass like Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. at WrestleDream, you’re seeing one version of perfection. But then you’ve got the chaotic, bloody spectacles like Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Adam Page in that Texas Death match.
Both got the five-star nod. They couldn't be more different.
The "Meltzer Scale" technically used to top out at five. Then Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat happened in 1989. Then Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada broke the scale entirely in 2017, dragging us into the era of 6 and 7-star ratings. It’s "starflation," sure. But it also reflects how much more athletic the business has become.
The heavy hitters of the modern era
If you look at the recent list of 5 star matches, one name pops up so often it feels like a glitch: Will Ospreay.
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The guy is a "five-star merchant" in the best way possible. By the start of 2026, Ospreay has cleared over 50 of these ratings. It's insane. Whether he’s in a ring in London, Tokyo, or Jacksonville, the guy just doesn’t know how to have a bad night. His 2024 run—specifically that match against Konosuke Takeshita at AEW Revolution—is already being talked about as one of the greatest technical displays in the history of the sport.
But it’s not just the "work rate" guys.
- WWE’s Renaissance: For a long time, WWE was the "land of the three-star match." Not anymore. The 2020s have seen guys like Gunther and Ilja Dragunov bring a brutal, European style that Meltzer eats up. Gunther vs. Sheamus at Clash at the Castle (2022) was a turning point. It proved you don't need a thousand flips to be "perfect." You just need to chop a man's chest until it looks like raw hamburger.
- The AEW Factory: Tony Khan’s promotion was basically built to generate high-star ratings. From the very first Double or Nothing with Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes, the brand has focused on the "dream match" formula.
- The Joshi Explosion: We can't ignore the women of Stardom. Matches involving Mayu Iwatani or Tam Nakano frequently hit the 5-star mark because the intensity is, frankly, terrifying. They hit harder than most of the men.
Why the "List" is so controversial
"It's just one man's opinion!" Yeah, okay. We know.
But tell that to the independent wrestler whose booking fee triples after a five-star review. Or the Japanese star who becomes a global sensation because Dave told everyone they had to see that G1 Climax match.
The criticism is usually that the list favors a specific "Indie" or "Strong Style." If a match happens in a 100-seat hall in Reseda, it feels like it has a better chance of hitting 5 stars than a WrestleMania main event. There’s a bias toward long matches, too. If it’s under 15 minutes, it rarely cracks the top tier, which feels a bit unfair to the guys who can tell a story in a sprint.
The "Must-Watch" list of 2024-2025
If you’re looking to catch up, these are the ones you absolutely cannot skip from the last couple of years.
- Will Ospreay vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW Dynasty 2024): This might be the best match ever held on North American soil. Period.
- Gunther vs. CM Punk (WWE SummerSlam 2025): The ultimate "old school vs. new school" clash. The storytelling here was off the charts.
- Iyo Sky vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair (WrestleMania 41): A triple threat that actually made sense and didn't rely on the "one person sleeps outside while two people fight" trope.
- Bandido vs. Konosuke Takeshita (NJPW G1 Climax 2025): Just pure, unadulterated speed and power.
How to use the 5-star list to your advantage
Don’t just look at the list as a "who is better" ranking. Use it as a discovery tool.
If you see a promotion you’ve never heard of—maybe some obscure Mexican Lucha Libre show—and it has a 5-star match on the list, go find it. That’s how you become a more well-rounded fan. You’ll start to see the threads that connect a 1980s Tiger Mask match to what Je'Von Evans is doing in a ring today.
The business is evolving fast. By the time we get deep into 2026, we’re probably going to see even more "scale-breaking" matches as the production values of streaming and the athleticism of the "Project Rock" generation of athletes merge.
Your next steps: Start by picking one match from the 1990s (try Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon) and one from the last year (go with Ospreay vs. Takeshita). Watch them back-to-back. You’ll see exactly how the "perfect" match has changed—and why we’re still arguing about it decades later.