Every Wrestler With 10 Or More Dave Meltzer 5 Star Rated Matches
1. Mitsuharu Misawa - 25 Matches
The founder of Pro Wrestling NOAH, and Dave Meltzer's favourite person, Mitsuhara Misawa sits atop the star rating throne with 25 perfect or better match scores.
He picked up his first 5 star score playing the famous "Tiger Mask" character in 1985. That battle with Kuniaki Kobayashi was only the fifth 5 star match in the Observer's history and the top scores just did not stop.
The final piece of the Super Generation Army, Misawa wowed in matches alongside or against Taue, Kawada, and Kobashi throughout the 1990s. It would be his closest rival on this list, Kenta Kobashi, who gave Misawa his final 5 star match before his tragic passing in 2009 after a wrestling move went wrong.
Misawa is widely regarded as one of the most influential wrestlers of all time, helping to develop the "puroresu" style of wrestling that has become mainstream in Japan and has inspired thousands of other wrestlers across the globe. This, combined with his excellent body of work, is why Meltzer favours him so highly.
He may no longer be with us, but Misawa leaves behind an undeniable legacy of quality, one that will live on forever in the annals of the Wrestling Observer.