All WWE matches rated over five stars ft. El Grande Americano vs 'Original' El Grande Americano & more
(Courtesy : WWE.com)
Five moments where WWE made even the most hardened wrestling observer reach for more stars.
Dave Meltzer has been covering professional wrestling longer than most fans have been alive. The man behind the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has rated matches since the early 1980s, witnessed every golden age, every revolution, every industry-shaking moment.
Across all of that time, through WCW, through the Attitude Era, through the New Japan renaissance, only five matches produced under the WWE umbrella have ever cracked his five-star ceiling. Five. That is the complete list.
Meltzer’s star rating system has been running since the creation of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, and receiving a five-star or higher rating is considered by many in professional wrestling to be a great achievement. But going beyond five? That is something else entirely.
That is Meltzer essentially telling the wrestling world that a match has transcended the medium; it belongs in a different conversation altogether. What makes this list so fascinating is where those five matches came from. Not from WrestleMania main events. Not from the biggest arenas on the biggest nights.
Four of the five came from the black-and-gold brand that Triple H built from scratch, NXT, and one arrived just days ago from the dusty, electric streets of Monterrey, Mexico, delivered by a German man pretending to be a Lucha Libre icon and a beloved veteran wearing a mask to hide one of the most emotional characters in recent WWE memory.
5. Adam Cole vs Johnny Gargano — NXT TakeOver XXV (5.25 stars) – June 1, 2019, Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut
The rematch. The one where the story flipped, and Adam Cole finally claimed the NXT Championship. Cole and Gargano clashed again at NXT TakeOver: XXV in a 32-minute wrestling spectacle. The narrative was brilliant, both superstars put everything on the line, and the match earned 5.25 stars from Meltzer.
That rating came one quarter star less than their encounter two months prior, which itself tells you everything about what NXT was producing at its peak.
4. WALTER vs Tyler Bate — NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff (5.25 stars), August 31, 2019 | Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Wales
While American NXT was producing instant classics, the UK branch quietly went and delivered one of the most physically demanding matches of the entire decade.
Both men wrestled a 40-minute clinic, playing up the David vs. Goliath angle perfectly. Bate spent the entire match wearing WALTER (aka Gunther) down, while the Ring General overpowered him with ease. For his performance, the 22-year-old Bate may have become the youngest wrestler in history to receive a rating over five stars from Meltzer. WALTER won, as WALTER always did, but Tyler Bate walked out of Cardiff a legend.
3. WALTER vs Ilja Dragunov — NXT TakeOver 36 (5.25 stars), August 22, 2021 | Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Their first match earned five stars. This rematch, the one where Dragunov finally slew the giant, was something more. Meltzer awarded 5.25 stars to WALTER vs Dragunov at TakeOver 36, which saw Dragunov end WALTER’s 870-day reign as NXT UK Champion.
In his review, Meltzer simply wrote: “The timing of this stuff was just perfect.” “For as incredible as their first NXT UK bout was, this one not only topped it,” noted Inside The Ropes, “but it was picked by many die-hard fans as the finest wrestling match of 2021.”
2. Adam Cole vs Johnny Gargano NXT TakeOver: New York (5.5 stars), April 6, 2019 | Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
For three years, this was the ceiling, the definitive statement that WWE could produce matches that belonged in any conversation about the best wrestling on earth.
At NXT TakeOver: New York, Johnny Gargano captured the NXT Championship in a sensational two-out-of-three falls match rated five and a half stars by Meltzer, the highest rating ever given to a WWE match at the time. Meltzer called it “the greatest match in WWE history.” Brooklyn was absolutely unhinged, every near-fall landing like a gut punch, culminating in Gargano making Cole tap to the No Escape in the final fall.
1. El Grande Americano vs OG El Grande Americano — AAA Noche de Los Grandes (5.75 stars), May 30, 2026 | Arena Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico
Nobody saw this coming. Nobody. Meltzer gave 5.75 stars to the Mask vs Mask match at AAA Noche de Los Grandes on May 30, making it the highest-rated WWE-affiliated match in his history, surpassing the previous record of 5.5 stars. The reaction for El Grande Americano was otherworldly.
He entered as a cultural hero despite being a German-born wrestler, a testament to Ludwig Kaiser throwing himself into the character and embracing Mexico and its fans. This was pure cinema. Meltzer declared: “This was the best AAA match I’ve ever seen, arguably the best WWE match and a top-tier match of all-time.”
After the loss, Chad Gable unmasked, bloodied but gracious, cut a heartfelt babyface promo, introduced the fans to his family, and promised to return to AAA. Five stars and three-quarters. For a mask-versus-mask match in Monterrey. That is professional wrestling at its absolute finest.
When did Dave Meltzer first give a WWE match more than five stars?
The first WWE match to ever receive more than five stars from Meltzer was Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano at NXT TakeOver: New York in April 2019, a two-out-of-3 falls match for the vacant NXT Championship that Meltzer rated 5.5 stars and called the greatest match in WWE history at the time
What is the highest-rated WWE match of all time, according to Dave Meltzer?
The highest-rated WWE-affiliated match in Meltzer’s history is El Grande Americano vs. Original El Grande Americano at AAA Noche de Los Grandes on May 30, 2026, which received 5.75 stars, surpassing the previous record of 5.5 stars held by Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano at NXT TakeOver: New York.
For more updates, follow Khel Now Wrestling on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram & Whatsapp.
Blesson Daniel is a sub-editor who spends his days organizing words and managing social media, crafting bursts of creativity designed to make people smile. He occasionally dives into writing as well — whether it’s crafting articles, brainstorming ideas, or finding the perfect caption. Believing that every piece of writing offers an opportunity to tell a story, Blesson brings creativity and thoughtfulness to every project he takes on. When he’s not glued to his laptop, Blesson is likely planning his next travel adventure or losing himself in music. A passionate explorer of new places, sounds, and ideas, he believes in balancing work, play, and a good playlist in the background. Whether he’s editing, writing, or daydreaming about his next trip, Blesson is always chasing that sweet spot where creativity and curiosity collide to create something memorable.