If you are a hardcore wrestling fan you are likely familiar with the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer. He rates a lot of matches from a variety of promotions. The ratings are out of 5, with 5 being the highest. His ratings are not gospel (since it is only his opinion) but he is a good indicator considering that he has been covering wrestling for a number of decades. There have only been a few WWE 5 star matches that have ever happened. Below are the matches that have received the rating from 1994 to present.
WWE 5 Star Matches List According To Dave Meltzer
1) Razor Ramon vs Shawn Michaels
Event: Wrestlemania X | Date: March 20th, 1994
Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels competed in a ladder match to determine who was the undisputed Intercontinental Champion. This was the first televised ladder match in history. Both Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon had their titles hung above the ring. The rules were simple, the first person to climb the ladder and grab both belts was the true Intercontinental Champion.
Razor picked up the win in a classic match to become undisputed champion. The match was very groundbreaking and showed fans how awesome ladder matches could be. Decades later, the ladder match is still a fixture on WWE television and without this first match, it might not be where it is today.
This was the first ever WWF match to receive a five-star rating from Meltzer. It was voted the match of the year for 1994 from both the Wrestling Observer and Pro Wrestling Illustrated. This is the only time that Razor Ramon appears on this list but it would not be the final time for the Heartbreak Kid.
2) Bret Hart vs Owen Hart
Event: Summerslam 1994 | Date: August 29th, 1994
In a family affair, Bret Hart took on his brother Owen Hart in a steel cage match at Summerslam 1994 for the WWF Championship. The feud between Owen and Bret really took off at the 1994 Royal Rumble where Owen turned heel by attacking the injured leg of his brother. The storyline involved Owen being upset that Bret wanted to keep him in his shadow. The two squared off at Wrestlemania X where Owen was victorious [by the way, the match at Wrestlemania X received 4.75 stars]. The feud continued, leading to this memorable match at Summerslam 1994 inside of a steel cage.
The match went for over 30 minutes and featured an incredible display of technical prowess and wrestling psychology from both men. Bret successfully retained the WWF Championship in a match that is considered one of the best in Summerslam history. The feud between the brothers was voted feud of the year from the readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated in 1994.
A really great match and worth a re-watch.
This was the first of two 5 star matches in Bret’s career and this is the only time that Owen made the list in his career.
3) Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin
Event: Wrestlemania 13 | Date: March 23rd, 1997
The famous submission match at Wrestlemania 13 between Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin received a five-star match rating. Steve Austin passed out in a pool of his own blood while locked in the sharpshooter, refusing to tap out. This was a great example of a ‘double turn’ in professional wrestling. Hart kept the sharpshooter locked in even after he was awarded the match from special guest referee Ken Shamrock, turning heel in the process. Austin became a fan favorite for his incredible guts and refusal to give up.
A fantastic match that also helped launch Steve Austin into the stratosphere for his career. The match earned match of the year honors for 1997 from both the Wrestling Observer and Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
Certainly, a match that will live on in history.
This was the second and final time that Bret received the match rating in his career. This was Austin’s first 5 star match in WWE but he was also a part of one in 1992 prior to joining the company.
4) Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker
Event: WWF In Your House 18: Badd Blood | Date: October 5th, 1997.
The first ever Hell in A Cell match took place between Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker at the In Your House 18 event titled: Badd Blood. The winner would go on to face Bret Hart at Survivor Series 1997 for the WWF Championship (which turned out to be the Montreal Screwjob). Both guys put on a fantastic match and really showed how great Hell in a Cell matches could be.
The match also featured the debut of Kane, who ripped open the cell wall and took out the Undertaker with a tombstone. This allowed Michaels to pick up the win.
The match was good enough to earn the 5-star match rating from Meltzer. It remained as the last 5-star rating until 2011. Certainly worth watching again if you haven’t seen it in years.
This was the first and only time that the Undertaker received the match rating in his career. This also marked the second and final time that Shawn would receive the rating. Many fans would argue that their matches at Wrestlemania years later could have earned 5 stars but they both received 4.75 from Dave.
5) CM Punk vs John Cena
Event: WWE Money In The Bank 2011 | Date: July 17th, 2011
You probably noticed a big time gap in the list of 5-star matches. WWE had to wait 14 years until it got a perfect rating from Dave Meltzer.
The main event of the Money In The Bank 2011 PPV was CM Punk vs John Cena for the WWE Championship. Vince McMahon threatened Cena that he would be fired if he lost to Punk. Punk ended up winning in a fantastic match from both guys. Tons of chemistry from both and a really great match.
The match went over 30 minutes and was entertaining from start to finish. Great storytelling from both men involved and certainly one of the most memorable in WWE history.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter and Pro Wrestling Illustrated voted this the best match of 2011 in pro-wrestling. This was Punk’s second
6) Johnny Gargano vs Andrade Almas
Event: NXT Takeover: Philadelphia | Event: January 27th, 2018
After no five-star match for several years, Johnny Gargano and Andrade Almas broke the streak! Both guys put on one hell of a match at Takeover Philadelphia during Royal Rumble weekend.
This was an incredible match from bell-to-bell and kept fans engaged for the entire time. Almas hit an elevated hammerlock DDT on Gargano to retain the title. One of the best matches in NXT history and well deserved of this star rating.
Not to mention the ending where Tommaso Ciampa came out to attack Gargano after the war that he had just endured. Some great storytelling and a match that is very deserving of 5 stars.
This was the first NXT match to ever receive 5 stars from Dave Meltzer. This was also the first time that both Johnny Gargano and Andrade Almas would receive the rating in their careers.
7) Adam Cole vs EC3 vs Killian Dain vs Lars Sullivan vs Ricochet vs Velveteen Dream
Event: NXT Takeover: New Orleans | Date: April 7th, 2018
Another ladder match gets added to the list of 5 star matches. This one was for the inaugural NXT North American Championship at Takeover: New Orleans.
This was a really fun match. There were a ton of huge moments and all 6 men involved seemed like they were trying to one-up the other. This match kicked off the NXT Takeover: New Orleans card and did so with a bang. Some have called it one of the best ladder matches of all time. The match was eventually won by Adam Cole, who became the inaugural Title holder.
Impressive work from all 6 men and a match deserving of the rating!
Prior to this match, Cole and Ricochet were the only two to receive a 5 star rating from Meltzer but this came prior to their times in WWE. As a result, everyone involved earned their first 5 star matches of their careers.
WWE 5 Star Matches List
8) Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa
Event: NXT Takeover: New Orleans | Date: April 7th, 2018
A true grudge match took place in the main event of NXT Takeover: New Orleans. This was a match that was built for over a year and boy did it ever deliver. Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano put on a show.
A masterclass of storytelling and emotion in a match. These two have incredible chemistry in the ring and it was really fun to watch.
This is Gargano’s second five-star rating in only a few months. This was also the first time that a WWE event has had two, WWE 5 star matches on the same card. Pretty impressive stuff.
9) Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate and Trent Seven) vs the Undisputed Era (Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly)
Event: WWE NXT | Date: July 11th, 2018
Moustache Mountain faced the Undisputed Era on the July 11th, 2018 episode of NXT. This was for the NXT Tag Team Championships.
The drama of the match was the Undisputed Era working on the leg of Trent Seven. Eventually, Bate had to throw the towel in for his partner after he refused to give up. A great bit of storytelling from everyone involved and a fun match.
This becomes the first and only tag team match to make this list. It is also the first match to make the list that didn’t happen at a PPV or NXT Takeover special.
10) Adam Cole vs Johnny Gargano
Event: NXT Takeover: New York | Date: April 5th, 2019
Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano faced off at NXT Takeover: New York for the vacant NXT Championship. This was a 2-out-of-3 falls match.
Johnny Gargano was able to win the match, 2 falls to 1. There were plenty of fun moments and fans were raving about it after it was finished.
With the win, Gargano was finally able to become NXT Champion. He celebrated with Candice LeRae and Tommaso Ciampa to close the show.
Note: This match received 5.5 stars, making it the first match to ever receive more than 5 in WWE history.
11) Adam Cole vs Johnny Gargano
Event: NXT Takeover: XXV | Date: June 1st, 2019
Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano followed up their incredible match at Takeover: New York with another classic at Takeover: XXV. This was for Gargano’s NXT Championship.
Cole was able to win the match after about 32 minutes. This was a really fun match, with plenty of great moments.
This was Cole’s first time winning the NXT Championship. He celebrated with the rest of the Undisputed Era to close the show.
Note: This match received 5.25 stars, making it the second match to ever receive more than 5 stars in WWE history.
12) Tyler Bate vs WALTER
Event: NXT Takeover: Cardiff | Date: August 31st, 2019
Tyler Bate and WALTER faced off at Takeover: Cardiff for the WWE United Kingdom Championship.
This was an awesome match and both guys deserve a lot of praise. This was easily the best match of the night and one that will be talked about for a while.
WALTER was able to win the match after over 40 minutes. As a result, he retained the WWE UK Championship.
Note: This match received 5.25 stars, making it the third match to ever receive more than 5 stars in WWE history.
13) WALTER vs Ilja Dragunov
Event: NXT UK | Date: October 29th, 2020
The October 29th edition of NXT UK featured a match between WALTER and Ilja Dragunov. This was for the NXT United Kingdom Championship.
This was an extremely hard-hitting match. Both guys kicked the crap out of one another and put on a really fun match.
Walter was able to retain the Title after a lengthy match. This marks the first match from NXT UK that has received the 5-star rating from Meltzer. Tyler Bate and Trent Seven were a part of the NXT UK roster when they had their match with The Undisputed Era but the match took place on regular NXT TV.
14) WALTER vs Ilja Dragunov
Event: NXT Takeover: 36 | Date: August 22nd, 2021
NXT Takeover: 36 featured a match between WALTER and Ilja Dragunov. This was for the NXT United Kingdom Championship,
They ended up putting on a fantastic match. They proved once again that they have some amazing chemistry with one another.
Dragunov was eventually able to win the match to become the new Champion.
Note: This match received 5.25 stars, making it the fourth match to ever receive more than 5 stars in WWE history.
15) Seth Rollins vs Cody Rhodes
Event: Hell in a Cell | Date: June 5th,2022
The 2022 edition of Hell in a Cell featured a match between Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. This was a Hell in a Cell match.
The big story of the match was Cody competing with a torn pec. Fans were surprised that he was able to compete in the match, let alone put on a classic against Seth.
This will go down as an all-time gutsy performance by Cody.
16) Gunther vs Sheamus
Event: Clash At The Castle | Date: September 3rd, 2022
Gunther and Sheamus faced off at the Clash at the Castle event in Cardiff. This was for the Intercontinental Championship.
This was a very hard-hitting and entertaining match.
17) Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso
Event: WrestleMania 39 (Night 1) | Date: April 1st, 2023
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens faced off against The Usos on Night 1 of WrestleMania 39. This was for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships and was the main event.
This ended up being a really great tag team match to close the show. Owens and Zayn won the tag team titles in a match that was just over 24 minutes.
18) Gunther vs Drew McIntyre vs Sheamus
Event: WrestleMania 39 (Night 2) | Date: April 2nd, 2023
Gunther, Drew McIntyre, and Sheamus faced off in a triple threat match on night 2 of WrestleMania 39. This was for the Intercontinental Championship.
This was a hard-hitting match between three guys that are known for their toughness. Gunther ended up winning to retain the title after about 16 minutes.
19) Cody Rhodes vs AJ Styles
Event: Backlash France | Date: May 4th, 2024
Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles faced off at Backlash France in 2024. This was for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Cody ended up winning the match to retain after about 27 minutes.
20) CM Punk vs Drew McIntyre
Event: Bad Blood | Date: October 5th, 2024
CM Punk and Drew McIntyre faced off at Bad Blood in 2024. This was a Hell in a Cell match.
Punk ended up winning after over 30 minutes.
Here are the 10 lowest rated matches in WWE History according to Meltzer. These are matches that have actually received negative star ratings.
What is your favorite match on the list? Let us know if there are any WWE 5 star matches that you think deserve to be on this list! Thanks for reading and please share with your followers if you enjoyed it!
HBK vs Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 21 is the best match ever. No list is valid that does not include this match.
I don’t know how neither of the HBK vs Undertaker matches at Wrestlemania got on. Either of them is a strong contender for best match of all time.
WTF no Undertaker vs HBK at Wrestlemania 26?
#DIY VS.The Revival 2 out of 3 falls should be a five star rated match
For Dave Meltzer, just be NJPW, and the match is already guaranteed with at least 3 stars. He has committed many injustices with several WWE matches, giving 4.75 stars.