WWE News: Dave Meltzer ranks Fastlane main event the best match of 2016 so far

Best match of the year so far

The first five months of 2016 is almost over and it is time to check out what matches got what ratings along the critic circle. Dave Meltzer is a well known critic of wrestling and his opinions carry some weight in wrestling circles. Dave Meltzer recently listed out the rankings of PPV matches that were held so far in 2016 and the results are rather surprising.

1. Lesnar vs Ambrose vs Reigns (Fastlane, 4.50 stars)
2. Ambrose vs Owens (Royal Rumble, 4.25 stars)
3. Triple H vs Ambrose (Roadblock, 4.25 stars)
4. Intercontinental Championship Ladder match (WrestleMania 32, 4.25 stars)
5. Royal Rumble match (Royal Rumble, 4.00 stars)
6. Styles vs Jericho (Fastlane, 4.00 stars)
7. Owens vs Zayn (Payback, 4.00 stars)
8. Charlotte vs Sasha vs Becky (WrestleMania 32, 4.00 stars)
9. Ambrose vs Jericho (Payback, 3.75 stars)
10. Styles vs Reigns (Payback, 3.75 stars)
11. Styles vs Jericho (WrestleMania 32, 3.75 stars)
12. Amore and Cassady vs The Revival (Roadblock, 3.50 stars)
13. Charlotte vs Natalya (Roadblock, 3.50 stars)
14. New Day vs Usos (Royal Rumble, 3.25 stars)
15. Kalisto vs Del Rio (Royal Rumble, 3.25 stars)
16. Charlotte vs Becky (Royal Rumble, 3.25 stars)
17. Kalisto vs Del Rio (Fastlane, 3.25 stars)
18. Owens vs Ziggler (Fastlane, 3.25 stars)
19. The Miz vs Cesaro (Payback, 3.25 stars)
20. Charlotte vs Natalya (Payback, 3.25 stars)

As you can note the results are rather surprising, the Fastlane main event was awarded the best match of WWE so far. The highly acclaimed Shane vs Undertaker match is not even present in the Top 20. In fact, the match is ranked #32 in the list with 2.50 stars. Also, the women’s division classic at WrestleMania had got a rather lower rank than anyone might have expected.

The mid-card feuds had occupied most of the rankings in the Top 20 and one can only wonder how good those matches might have been if provided with proper time. Especially, Styles, Owens and Ambrose dominate most of the rankings in Top 10 showcasing their ability as extraordinary wrestlers. But my hope is that WWE will produce more stellar bouts in the future and topple these rankings altogether.