10 Fascinating Facts About 2019's 5-Star Matches
There were a total of twenty-one 5-star matches last year. TWENTY. ONE.
Ask any wrestling fan who the most divisive figure in pro-wrestling is, and you're bound to get a lot of the same answers - Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, John Cena, etc. But all of those answers would be wrong, because the correct answer is not even a professional wrestler.
No, the most divisive figure in wrestling is none other than the publisher and editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, David Allan Meltzer.
Since 1980, Meltzer has been wrestling's most prominent journalist, providing insights and (mostly) reliable insider information that, still today, spreads like wildfire throughout the Internet Wrestling Community. He is considered a controversial figure not because he, like your local weatherman, is incorrect in his predictions, but because of his famed match rating system.
Inspired by a childhood friend and, interestingly, Jim Cornette, Meltzer adopted a system that rates pro-wrestling matches on a scale of 0 stars to 5-stars.... well, originally. Since then, he has gone below 0 stars and above 5 stars on several different occasions, hence much of the criticism from fans and performers alike. Nevertheless, it's still considered an honor when Meltzer rates a match so highly, considering he is perhaps the most knowledgeable human being on the subject of pro-wrestling.
As such, while most wrestling fans agree that Meltzer's ratings do not ultimately define how "good" a match is, it is inaccurate to say that his ratings are meaningless. With that said, let's take a look at some fascinating facts about last year's highest-rated matches.
10. Making It Rain
For at least the last eight years, current IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada has been firmly establishing himself as one of professional wrestling's most gifted and valuable performers.
At just 32 years old, he already boasts one of the most impressive resumes in the history of pro-wrestling, having won New Japan's top prize on five occasions, the G1 Climax and the New Japan Cup on two occasions each, and he is part of all four of Wrestling Observer Newsletter's four highest-rated wrestling matches of all time.
The now-pantsless Rainmaker's enjoyed an excellent 2019 as well, taking part in four 5-star bouts in that calendar year alone. While he was one 5-star match shy of the record he set last year, he still wrestled at least four such matches for the third consecutive year. That is an astonishing accolade for any wrestler, and considering he is still in his early-30s, he still has so many more years left in the tank.
And that, my friends, is exciting.