7 Awesome Wrestling Matches (That The Critics Hated)
1. Hulk Hogan Vs. The Rock - WWF WrestleMania X8
It is here that the strict technical flaws of Meltzer's rating system become apparent. What follows may read as histrionic - cheesy - but Meltzer's system does not account for pure magic.
Who cares if the moves themselves were sluggish, or basic? What does it matter if the moves, the psychology, were transplanted from well over a decade prior? It wasn't dated; it was timeless. Paradoxically, it changed the times. Rock entered the match as a babyface, but an all-encompassing wave of nostalgia, and Hogan's politicking, brushed everything with strokes of red and yellow.
This turn transpired within seconds. Hogan barged Rock to the canvas, illustrating his superior strength with a muscle-flexing roar. The deafening reaction delighted him where it punctured Rock's ice-cool demeanour. His eye twitched involuntarily. He was shaken. After it happened, Hogan and Rock transitioned into their new roles seamlessly, and wrestled a minimalist masterpiece that maximised the impact of every move and every glorious psychological wrinkle. It was a match completely immune to critique, almost. It was a match that made children of us all. Meltzer didn't hate it; he rated it, almost begrudgingly, adhering to the strict confines of a rating system the match simply transcended.
Meltzer awarded the match three stars - but two of the biggest stars in the history of pro wrestling never shone as brightly as they did here.