Dave Meltzer's 8 Most Controversial Star Ratings
7. Chris Jericho Vs. Kenny Omega (5 Stars)
So, fun fact: the idea that Meltzer will give something in the Tokyo Dome 5 stars? Guess how many 5+ star matches have actually taken place there?
Six. Only four of which were done by New Japan wrestlers. By comparison, just this year, Dave has given three matches in Korakuren Hall 5 stars or more.
Given that Dave factors crowd investment and the intensity of reactions so heavily when rating matches, a match will have to do a lot to get a huge reaction in the large, airy Tokyo Dome. Naturally, classics such as Nakamura-Ibushi in 2015, Okada-Tanahashi in 2016, and Okada-Omega in 2017 were able to achieve such dizzying heights, and their ratings are (mostly) uncontroversial.
However, at Wrestle Kingdom 12, Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega's hardcore brawl for the US title raised some eyebrows when it received 5 stars from the WON. Some people accused Dave of being biased toward Omega. Some have accused him of being biased toward Jericho (admittedly, I raised my eyebrow when his Naito match received 4.5 stars).
Of course, maybe he just loves wrestlers from Toronto. (EDITOR'S NOTE: They're from Winnipeg, you idiot!)