Dave Meltzer’s five-star ratings can be verified for four PWG matches, not ten. A ranked top ten of PWG’s highest-rated matches would need a complete list of Meltzer’s PWG ratings, including scores below five stars, and the sources available for this article do not provide one. What follows is the list of four five-star PWG matches that can be confirmed, along with what the ratings do and do not tell you.
Why a ranked top ten cannot be verified
A top ten is only possible if every PWG match Meltzer rated is available and can be sorted by score. The ratings compilation used here lists four PWG matches at five stars. It does not provide a complete PWG rating ledger, and it does not show enough lower-rated PWG matches to establish which matches sit at positions six through ten. Filling those slots from fan polls, other rating systems, or general reputation would produce a list that looks like Meltzer’s but is not his.
The four matches below are therefore the four identifiable five-star PWG matches in the sources checked. They are not a claim that PWG has had only four matches at that level. Promotion-wide data of that kind was not available.
The four verified five-star PWG matches
| Match | Event | Context | Result | Meltzer rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Ospreay, Ricochet and Matt Sydal vs. The Superkliq (Adam Cole and The Young Bucks) | Battle of Los Angeles, Night 2, 2016 | Six-man tag | Sydal, Ricochet and Ospreay won in 20:06 | Five stars |
| WALTER vs. Zack Sabre Jr. | All Star Weekend 13, Night 2, 2017 | Singles match | WALTER won | Five stars |
| Keith Lee vs. Donovan Dijak | Battle of Los Angeles, 2017 | Tournament quarter-final, September 3 | Lee won | Five stars |
| Bandido vs. Dragon Lee | Battle of Los Angeles, 2019 | Tournament semi-final | Bandido won | Five stars |
All four carry the same rating, so the list does not establish any order among them. Meltzer’s published scores are the only ranking input here, and a shared score means the matches cannot be ranked against one another on this evidence.
#1 Best Overall
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What each entry covers
Ospreay, Ricochet and Sydal vs. The Superkliq (2016)
This six-man tag was the second night of the 2016 Battle of Los Angeles. Will Ospreay and Ricochet teamed with Matt Sydal against Adam Cole and The Young Bucks, with Sydal, Ricochet and Ospreay taking the win in 20:06. The match’s five-star rating appears in the ratings compilation and is also listed in a secondary list focused on Will Ospreay, which independently supports the 2016 PWG entry.
WALTER vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (2017)
This singles match took place on the second night of PWG All Star Weekend 13 in 2017. WALTER won. It is the only verified five-star PWG singles match in the sources checked, though the sources do not establish that no other singles match received five stars.
Rank #2
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Keith Lee vs. Donovan Dijak (2017)
This match was a quarter-final at the 2017 Battle of Los Angeles, held on September 3. Lee won. Because it was a tournament match, its rating reflects the match itself rather than its place in the bracket.
Bandido vs. Dragon Lee (2019)
This semi-final at the 2019 Battle of Los Angeles ended with a Bandido win. The 2019 event summary reports Meltzer describing the match as a “match of the year candidate.” That phrase comes from the summary’s report of Meltzer’s comments and has not been checked against a primary Wrestling Observer Newsletter transcript.
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Rank #3
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How to read a Meltzer star rating
Meltzer’s ratings are one critic’s assessment, published through the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. They reflect his judgment of a match’s quality, not a measurement, and they are not an official PWG ranking. Audience votes, match databases and general fan consensus can disagree with them, and the phrase “according to Dave Meltzer” should be kept in any citation so readers can tell his ratings apart from other lists.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What a complete top ten would require
- A full list of every PWG match Meltzer rated, including those below five stars.
- Primary Wrestling Observer Newsletter rating issues, or a complete archive, so each score can be checked against the original.
- Matches that share a score ordered by a stated rule, not by chronology or by how well-known the match is.
Until those are available, the four matches above are the accurate answer to the question the headline asks.
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Rank #4
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