20 WWE matches that should be rated 5 stars (20-11)
Disclaimer: The views of the author do not necessarily reflect those of Sportskeeda.
Pro-wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer is well known for his prestigious, and sometimes controversial, match ratings system. Meltzer, unquestionably the Roger Ebert of wrestling, has significant tastemaker influence relative to what constitutes a classic match. Case in point, his love of Japanese puroresu has directly led to increased attention and business for NJPW from American fans over the last few years.
But with New Japan being rewarded with a plethora of "5 star" ratings over its 47-year history, one can't help but think that there's quite a few legendary WWE matches that perhaps Mr. Meltzer has overlooked in the process of giving more praise to the greats from the land of the rising sun. To date, WWE has less than ten 5-star matches out of over 70 that have reached the 5-star status, with several of them occurring just in the last two years in NXT.
In contrast to a bit of a cavalier attitude toward WWE, Meltzer's Wrestling Observer publication has awarded 5 stars to matches from the independent circuit that some would consider to be "spot fests" (Keith Lee vs. Donovan Dijak in PWG for example), multi-man tag matches that featured some glaring mistakes (such as The Young Bucks & Adam Cole vs. Ricochet, Will Osperay & Matt Sydall in PWG), and big men doing little more than hitting each other extremely hard (and often for real) in affairs that could be seen as more brutal than rife with storytelling (like The Funks vs Bruiser Brody & Stan Hansen in AJPW). Maybe it's time to look back and reconsider the ratings for some groundbreaking WWE matches that, in retrospect, most likely deserved the top praise.
These are 20 WWE matches that should be rated 5 Stars, starting with numbers 20 through 11.
#20 Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage (Intercontinental Title - WrestleMania III, 1987)
Perhaps the first match in WWE history that could be classified under the style of "work rate", "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat for the Intercontinental Title at WrestleMania III has all the right attributes to be considered one of the most legendary performances ever. That includes charisma, ring work, psychology, storytelling and emotional pull for the purported 93,000 fans in attendance and millions more watching at home.
Savage vs. Steamboat was so groundbreaking that a quick glance at highlights from the match shows how the two legends inspired a generation of pro wrestlers and created a template by employing (and even creating) many of the tropes still used in WWE today - weaponized ring posts, referee bumps, using managers and valets to gain advantage, lots of counters etc. This is a match that was ahead of its time, especially for WWE.
Savage, the cocky heel with Miss Elizabeth by his side, had been Intercontinental Champion for around a year before he faced off against the fan favorite Steamboat. Though Savage used shady tactics to stay ahead of the curve in the match, Steamboat had George 'The Animal' Steele, who retaliated against Savage on the Dragon's behalf, helping him. This allowed Steamboat to secure the win and the title in a historic moment.