Every WWE 5 Star Match Ranked
Only 6 matches from WWE have gotten 5 stars, and now it's time to pit them against each other.
Sound the alarm, alert the village, and lock up your children: Dave "Tokyo Dome" Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has awarded a WWE match 5 stars. The honor goes to Johnny Gargano and Andrade "Cien" Almas, who put on an instant classic this past Saturday at NXT Takeover: Philadelphia for the NXT Championship.
While Meltzer is known for giving high ratings consistently to promotions such as New Japan Pro Wrestling or Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, many have pointed out his lack of proclivity for awarding five special snowflakes to WWE matches. In the 30+ years of using the star rating system, Big Daddy Dave has only given 5 stars to six matches from Vince's Hotbox of Headlocks.
But hey, who ever said it was about quantity? It's about quality. Ask any WWE fan, and they probably have at least one of these matches on their shortlist of favorites of all time, and for good reason. But which ones are the cream of the crop? Which of these are the least excellent?
Through the infallible science of subjective opinion, let us find out, shall we?
6. CM Punk Vs. John Cena (Money In The Bank 2011)
The Summer of Punk storyline marked the first time in several years that WWE was seen as culturally relevant. With the Straight Edge Superstar's kayfabe blurring pipebomb, all eyes were on Money in the Bank 2011 for what could have been Punk's last match in the promotion, as he challenged for John Cena's WWE title in Punk's hometown of Chicago.
Punk vs. Cena earning 5 stars is a case of a heated crowd elevating a match to instant classic status. With Punk being both the hometown hero and a voice of the voiceless, and Cena being the corny status quo symbol of the promotion, the battle lines were firmly drawn. It wasn't John Cena vs. CM Punk: it was John Cena vs. Chicago, with one of the most ravenous, heated crowds in the history of the Rosemont Horizon.
However, Punk vs. Cena is low on the list because while it is undoubtedly a great match due to the characters and crowd response, the in-ring aspect isn't as crisp as its companions. Heck, just from a wrestling standpoint, this isn't even the best Punk/Cena match (that would be their Night of Champions 2012 encounter).
Still, it's rarely about the in-ring work, but about how the crowd reacts, and boy, they reacted in a big way.