The 10 Highest Rated Matches Ever (According To Dave Meltzer)
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON) has been writing about professional wrestling, captivating readers since 1983. For better and worse, Meltzer is a polarizing figure who recently has begun to make more enemies than friends in the industry. Meltzer also hosts the Wrestling Observer Live radio show and podcast with Bryan Alvarez of Figure Four Wrestling (F4W).
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Dave has reviewed countless matches over various promotions, including the former World Championship Wrestling (WCW). WCW was originally a television program, named after an Australian promotion, that eventually became its own American brand in late 1988. From October 1988 onward, here are the ten highest rated WCW matches ever according to Dave Meltzer.
10 Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat (February 1989 - 5 Stars)
Ted Turner was blessed in his first year of WCW ownership by have not one, not two, but THREE five-star matches and they all involved the same combatants. WWE Hall Of Famers Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair had a historic rivalry.
The two had technical, charismatic styles that greatly complimented each other. At Chi-Town Rumble on February 20, 1989, Steamboat won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Flair by reversing the Figure Four Leglock into a small package for the pinfall title win.
9 Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat (April 1989 - 5 Stars)
Match two of the Flair-Steamboat five-star trilogy took place a little over a month after Ricky won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. At Clash Of The Champions VI: Ragin' Cajun on April 2, 1989, Flair and Steamboat wrestled in a two-out-of-three falls match that neared one hour in fight time.
The show's main event saw Steamboat retain the NWA title. Flair scored the first fall with an inside cradle and Steamboat won the second with a double chickenwing submission. The third fall was awarded to Ricky by pin but replay showed Flair's foot on the rope, resulting in a rematch.
8 Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat (May 1989 - 5 Stars)
WrestleWar 1989: Music City Showdown took place May 7, 1989, in Nashville. The country music hotbed played host to the Flair-Steamboat rematch from Clash Of The Champions VI and also saw a mini concert from The Oak Ridge Boys at the event.
Seventh on the card was the NWA World Heavyweight Championship match. Flair and Steamboat went back and forth with Flair seeming to have the upper hand, torturing Ricky's knee. Steamboat was unable to deliver a slam due to his knee damage and Flair executed an inside cradle to win back the NWA gold in just over half an hour.
7 Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk (November 1989 - 5 Stars)
The Flair-Steamboat clash at WrestleWar 89 had three judges at ringside in the event a time limit split decision was needed. One of the judges was Terry Funk. Following the match, Funk challenged Flair for his newly won NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Flair rejected and proceedingly insulted Terry.
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Funk attacked Flair, piledriving Ric onto the judge's table igniting their rivalry. The two met at the 1989 Great American Bash with Flair winning and later had a five-star I Quit match at Clash Of The Champions IX: New York Knock Out on November 15, 1989. Flair made Funk quit with the Figure Four Leglock.
6 The Midnight Express vs. The Southern Boys (July 1990 - 4.75 Stars)
The 1990 Great American Bash on July 7 from Baltimore was a WCW event under the NWA banner. Midway in the card was the NWA United States Tag Team Championship match. The Midnight Express retained their titles against The Southern Boys in an eighteen minute heel vs. face classic.
The crowd got progressively louder, hoping the Boys would win. The four incorporated mat based and top rope agility. Jim Cornette was at ringside for The Midnight Express, providing heelish distractions to perfection. Bobby Eaton rolled up Tracy Smothers after a Stan Lane head kick.
5 WarGames (February 1991 - 5 Stars)
WrestleWar 1991: WarGames took place February 24, 1991, in Baltimore with the main event being the infamous WarGames match. The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott) teamed with Brian Pillman and Sting to battle The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Barry Wyndham, Sid Vicious) and Larry Zbyszko.
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The war lasted a little over twenty minutes with the finish seeing Sid powerbombing Pillman twice. Due to the low cage roof and Sid's height, Pillman's feet and head hit the roof accidentally causing a rough landing. El Gigante ran in and surrendered the match on Pillman's behalf.
4 Flyin' Brian vs Jushin Thunder Liger (February 1992 - 4.75 Stars)
The opening contest for SuperBrawl II is considered one of the greatest opening matches of all time for a pay-per-view. February 29, 1992, in Milwaukee, Jushin Thunder Liger defended his WCW Light Heavyweight Championship against Flyin' Brian. Brian (Pillman) and Liger had an agile match seeing some great airborne offense from the two.
Mid-match, Brian hit a wicked back suplex on Liger but got a two count. The combatants went back and forth for around seventeen minutes with Liger having a slight advantage until he missed a top rope splash, allowing Brian to roll him up to win the championship.
3 WarGames (May 1992 - 5 Stars)
WrestleWar 1992: WarGames happened in Jacksonville, Florida on May 17, 1992 which once again saw a WarGames match main event. Sting's Squadron (Sting, Barry Wyndham, Dusty Rhodes, Ricky Steamboat and Nikita Koloff) fought the Dangerous Alliance (Steve Austin, Rick Rude, Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton and Larry Zbyszko).
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In twenty minutes and change, Sting won the match by making Bobby Eaton submit to an armbar after Zbyszko inadvertently hit Eaton's shoulder with a metal turnbuckle connector. Like Pillman the year prior, Austin accidentally hit his head on the low cage roof being lifted up for an atomic drop.
2 Big Van Vader vs. Cactus Jack (October 1993 - 4.75 Stars)
"The Mastadon" Big Van Vader squared off against Cactus Jack at Halloween Havoc 1993 on October 24 in New Orleans. The two main evented the show in a Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal match, where a spinning wheel chose the match type. The winning stipulation: Texas Death match.
Vader was the WCW World Heavyweight Champion at the time but the match was non-title. An elbow drop off the ramp, heavy chair shots, a ruptured kidney for Cactus, stun gun usage by WWE Hall Of Famer Harley Race and more all took place in Vader's win in just over fifteen minutes.
1 Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Eddie Guerrero (October 1997 - 4.75 Stars)
The words Halloween Havoc will bring back the memory of one fight for many fans: Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Eddie Guerrero. October 24, 1997, the two best friends met in Las Vegas where Rey's mask was on the line against Eddie's WCW Cruiserweight Championship.
Mysterio wowed the crowd with his high-flying acrobatics including a jaw-dropping springboard DDT out of a test-of-strength reversal. Eddie played a masterful technician and villain, tearing and ripping at Rey's mask revealing part of his face. In the shocking finish, Rey reversed an avalanche crucifix powerbomb into a frankensteiner for the title win.
NEXT: The Best Of The Rest: 10 5-Star Matches From Outside WWE (According To Dave Meltzer)
