10 Wrestlers Who Broke Dave Meltzer's Rating System In 2017
3. Tetsuya Naito
In 2017, no one gained more momentum in his promotion than Tetsuya Naito. The leader of Los Ingobernables de Japon saw his stable of misfits surpass the Bullet Club in popularity, and he himself won his second G1 Climax tournament to earn an opportunity to challenge Okada for the title at Wrestle Kingdom 12. With all his popularity, it'll be a shock to many if he doesn't walk out of the Tokyo Dome with the belt over his shoulder.
In the midst of this Stone Cold-esque surge in clout, Naito was quite busy in terms of match quality. While defending his Intercontinental Championship and winning the G1 tournament, he amassed three matches that achieved 5 stars or higher. First was his successful title defence against Michael Elgin at The New Beginning. Then, in the span of two days, Naito blew off his feud with Hiroshi Tanahashi in a 5 star encounter at the G1, and won the final against Kenny Omega in a match that earned a staggering 5.75 stars.
Were it not for the two men in front of him on this list, Naito would likely be Wrestler of the Year.