5 Star Match: when will it happen again?

[thrilla11]

I was watching classic wrestling matches from youtube, trying to shore up my knowledge of the legends of the past. I had just finished watching the iconic Michaels vs Ramon Ladder Match and I thought to myself, "wow, that had to be a five star match". But what is a five star match? I looked it up and this is what wikipedia told me:

The "star rating system" rates matches on a scale of zero to five stars (sometimes going to negative five stars in the case of bad matches). As in the field of film, a rating is a largely subjective affair that may take into account the amount of action, as opposed to restholds ("workrate"), the difficulty and variety of moves used, the history of the workers and their feud, the development of an in-match storyline based on the wrestling moves and how they affect the wrestlers, and the overall reaction of the crowd.

Five star matches, as rated by Meltzer, are extremely rare. Before 2004, the last match rated five stars in the US was in 1997. There have been sixty-three matches that have received the honor since 1983, when Dynamite Kid and Tiger Mask I had the first one ever.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Meltzer#Rating_system

I did some more research and found the list of all the five star matches in history.
Here is the list of all the WWE five star matches in history:
* 3/20/94 Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (Ladder Match, WrestleMania X) WWF Intercontinental Championship
* 8/29/94 Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (Cage Match, SummerSlam 1994) WWF Championship
* 3/23/97 Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin (Submission Match, WrestleMania 13)
* 10/5/97 Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker (Hell in a Cell Match, In Your House: Bad Blood) WWF Championship

http://en.allexperts.com/e/l/li/list_of_dave_meltzer's_five_star_matches.htm

* So here is my question WWE wrestling fans: Will we ever see a WWE five star match again? If we will, who will compete in it? (I have marked in bold the requirements above) and in what match? Will there be a title on the line?

* Or... Has there already been a match in recent memory that you consider a five star match that meet the requirements above? Please share.

I could not find the first ever five star match but I have found a match in Japan between the two wrestlers who participated in the first ever five star match. This is a AMAZING match between the Dynamite Kid and Tiger Mask I to show posters two great wrestlers putting on a legendary performance for the fans:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMRBsQyKxjw

 

[kobrad]

WHAT ABOUT HBK vs. TAKER at WM25????

Seriously give them some respect Dave.

If you look at the criteria for which he used, the amount of action, as opposed to restholds ("workrate"), the difficulty and variety of moves used, the history of the workers and their feud, the development of an in-match storyline based on the wrestling moves and how they affect the wrestlers, and the overall reaction of the crowd. I think this match had allll of that.

HBK vs. Taker was one of the best matches i have ever seen, these two guys gave everything they had, the crowd was electric (watch the pinfalls at the end of the match and then watch the reactions of the people). Storyline, wow they ahve a huge histroy with each other, awesome moves even though their bodies couldnt handle them really, seriously it had these criterias plus more. I think this is one of the best matches of all-time and it should definitely be given five stars

 

[wushady]

As far as 5 star matches that have happened you have to include Bret Hart vs Davey Boy Smith from SummerSlam 92, Jericho vs HBK Wrestlemania 19.Angle vs HBK Wrestlemania 21. As far as when will it happen again it's hard to tell. Jericho and Edge could pull it off this year at mania. There's not to many true technical wrestlers left. HBK, Y2J, Edge, HHH, Christian, Orton could all have great matches with one another.

 

[ted sheckler]

I think that 5 star matches have happened since.. I had a lot of respect for Meltzer but i think he lost a lot of credibility when he gave HBK vs Taker @WM25 a **** 3/4 stars.. I for one came out thinking that match was amazing... the drama.. the wrestling.. the crowd reactions all out of this world... people came away saying its the greatest WM match ever.. What else could HBK and Taker possibly have done to get that last 1/4 of a star from Meltzer... the answer is nothing. Meltzer is too cool for the room.

 

[jaytaday]

I think a solid 5 star match should be HBK vs John Morrison because Morrison has a similar sort of wrestling style as HBK in which they would both put on a great performance

 

[Tha Wolfpac]

If Wrestlemania 25 Taker vs HBK doesn't take to your liking as a five star match well then until Wrestlemania 26 where they will blow the house down guaranteed, the stakes were high last year and now they're even higher this will definetly be a match to remember i can feel it so you can either wait for Wrestlemania 26 or just acknowledge taker vs HBK 1 was awesome and was 5ive Star

 

[thrilla11]

I think that 5 star matches have happened since.. I had a lot of respect for Meltzer but i think he lost a lot of credibility when he gave HBK vs Taker @WM25 a **** 3/4 stars.. I for one came out thinking that match was amazing... the drama.. the wrestling.. the crowd reactions all out of this world... people came away saying its the greatest WM match ever.. What else could HBK and Taker possibly have done to get that last 1/4 of a star from Meltzer... the answer is nothing. Meltzer is too cool for the room.

I'm gonna have to agree with you Ted. That match was definitely a 5 star performance in my opinion. How could they have gotten that last 1/4 star? From the requirements that i mentioned above, I think that this match didn't fulfill the entire feud part of a five star match. Perhaps if Taker and Michaels were feuding in the last two PPVs before Wrestlemania, they would receive that last 1/4 star. This is the case presently between Taker and Michaels. If they can again bring it this Wrestlemania, we'll see the first five star WWE match in a very long time.

 

[Davi323]

Since when is Dave Meltzer the end-all-be-all when it comes to judging matches? Those are one guy's opinions as to what makes a great match, not anyone else. Just because he is a wrestling reporter doesn't make him the ultimate authority on the subject. What counts as a 5 star match is going to be completely subjective, based on the wide range of aspects that each individual fan looks for in a match.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I couldn't care less about Dave Meltzer's idea of 5 Star Match. Some fans put far too much stock in what Dave Meltzer and others like him think and form their own opinions based on what these guys think.

There have been a number of "5 Star Matches" in my view over the past several yeas. HBK and Jericho have had some, Jeff Hardy and CM Punk had a few last year, Taker and Michaels at WM 25 certainly qualifies in my view, Kurt Angle and AJ Styles wrestled some pure clinics in the late 2009 and early 2010. Fuck Dave Meltzer.

 

[shattered dreams]

It is true Meltzer is just one guy and many people did rate taker-hbk as 5 star but in this case I agreed with him. It was the best match in WWE in a long time but it was not quite that perfect storm. It is not like he was saying the match sucked and admittedly most likely just playing out his biases but who really cares about a 1/4 a star difference? To me it fell short because they had to cram the build into too small of a time frame (although they had some really cool moments) and more importantly the first half of the match they were not exactly nailing everything precisely.