5 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (Feb 2)

1. The First Five Star WWE Match In Seven Years - And Only The Sixth Ever

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WWE

For the first time since 2011 - and for only the sixth time in the entire history of WWE - the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer has awarded a WWE match with the fabled ***** rating.

The WrestleMania X Intercontinental Title Ladder Match between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon; the SummerSlam '94 Steel Cage bout between Bret and Owen Hart; Bret's seminal switched sides stunner opposite Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13; the first ever Hell In A Cell bout between Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker later that same year; CM Punks' excellent exercise in escapology at Money In The Bank 2011: until this week, those were the only WWE matches 'The Meltz' deemed worthy of perfection. Some may deem that harsh - which is all the more reason to receive this news with amazement.

The NXT title clash between Andrade 'Cien' Almas and Johnny Gargano surely warranted the rating; Gargano elicited so much emotion in a modern masterclass of babyface selling in a match with a ridiculous layer of investment and an even more ridiculous amount of false finishes. Escalated to perfection, this 32:20 war was driven by unbearable tension and pathos and worked with next-level athletic artistry and stamina. A certain section of the readership might roll their eyes at this being deemed newsworthy - but talents appreciate (and in many cases subscribe to) Meltzer's acumen. Gargano himself even tweeted the smug emoji in celebration of it, which removed the gloss somewhat. This is a major accomplishment for both men.

This - again - is an awesome time to be a fan of pro wrestling. It's even a great time to be a sufferer of sports entertainment.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!