Over the decades, Dave Meltzer's star rating system has become an integral part of professional wrestling culture. Since its inception in 1982, many matches have gotten the 5 star rating with many even breaking past that barrier.
Many fans do not consider it to be a genuine rating system, pointing out how Meltzer has seemingly thrown around 5 star ratings in recent times. Yet it is undeniable that many matches have been elevated over the years as a result of it and almost forty years after its creation, it still remains as relevant as ever.
So let us take a look at the ten wrestlers with the most 5 star matches over the course of their careers.
10 Will Ospreay - 11
At just 27 years of age, Will Ospreay already has eleven 5 star matches under his belt and will have surely climbed up this list by the end of his career. He is already one of the biggest stars in Japan and it is only a matter of time before he captures the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
The Englishman is considered by many as the best wrestler on the planet right now and it is not hard to see why. In 2019, in the span of two months, Ospreay put in a staggering five 5 star matches, all with different opponents (Bandido, Dragon Lee, Kota Ibushi, Shingo Takagi and Kazuchika Okada). Simply incredible!
9 Ric Flair - 11
In the eyes of many, the greatest to ever step foot in a wrestling ring is Ric Flair. The Nature Boy was said to be capable of putting on a five star classic with a broomstick and he amassed eleven of them at a time when it was truly a rarity. In fact, the first ever 5 star match was between Ric Flair and Butch Reed back in 1982.
Flair's greatest achievement though was putting on four 5 star matches against Ricky Steamboat in the space of just three months in what was the greatest series of matches in the history of wrestling.
8 Manami Toyota - 13
The only woman to appear on this list, Manami Toyota was truly one of a kind. She is considered by many to be the greatest women's wrestler in history and it is very hard to argue against them.
WWE might be witnessing a women's revolution right now but women like Toyota were already tearing the house down in Japan decades earlier. She put on several classic matches over a career that spanned over an incredible three decades.
Her thirteen 5 star matches are a testament to her greatness and it is very hard to see any woman topping that record anytime soon.
7 Hiroshi Tanahashi - 13
One of the icons of Japanese wrestling in the modern era, Hiroshi Tanahashi has put on an incredible 13 five star matches over his storied career. It is safe to say that his rivalry with Kazuchika Okada will go down in history as one of the greatest of all time, with the two having put together six 5 star matches against each other.
Tanahashi also holds the record for most reigns as IWGP Heavyweight Champion, having won the title eight times. And even at the age of 43, there is still a lot left in his tank as he is the current IWGP Tag Team Champion with Kota Ibushi.
6 Akira Taue - 14
Akira Taue put on 14 five star matches over his career and even more incredibly, only one of them was a singles match - against Mitsuharu Misawa. He was truly a tag team specialist, having held the AJPW World Tag Team Championships seven times.
Taue began his career as a sumo wrestler but would soon transition into professional wrestling where he would go on to carve out an illustrious 25-year long career.
He broke into the business with AJPW but would later join Pro Wrestling Noah in 2000, where he break out of his mould as a tag team specialist and capture the GHC Heavyweight Championship.
5 Kenny Omega - 16
Kenny Omega is not everybody's cup of tea. But it is undeniable that the man has put on some absolute classics during his time in Japan.
After all, the man has sixteen five star matches on his resume with many of them breaking past that barrier. His match against Kazuchika Okada at Dominion 6.9 got an incredible 7 stars from Dave Meltzer!
At one point of time was putting on these classics at an alarming rate, with all of his singles matches with Okada having broken the five star mark. Things have dried up a bit for him in recent months after having joined AEW although he already has a six star match this year.
4 Kazuchika Okada - 19
Kazuchika Okada is still just 32-years-old and has the ability to have a five star match with whoever he faces. Do not be surprised to see him at the top of this by the end of his career and by some distance.
His series of matches against Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kenny Omega is already a part of wrestling history. And The Rainmaker showed his capabilities earlier this year by putting in 5 star matches in both nights of Wrestle Kingdom 14.
He is a 5-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion and holds the record the record for both longest reign at 720 days and most title defenses at 12.
3 Toshiaki Kawada - 20
Toshiaki Kawada put on some absolute classics against the likes of Mitsuharu Misawa, Jun Akiyama and Kenta Kobashi over his career, ending up with a staggering twenty 5 star matches. Kawada had the second ever six star match in history against Mitsuharu Misawa in 1994, back when breaking the five star barrier was a remarkable achievement.
He was also one of the pioneers of strong style, that has become very popular in Japanese wrestling over the years. On top of all this, he was a brilliant tag team wrestler too, having held the AJPW Tag Team Championship nine times.
2 Kenta Kobashi - 23
One of the greatest to ever lace on a pair of wrestling boots, Kenta Kobashi put on 23 five star matches over his 25-year long career. His style has also influenced many of today's biggest stars in wrestling.
Kobashi's rivalries with Mitsuharu Misawa is the stuff of legend with the two winning Nissan Sports match of the year on three different occasions, all three of which got Meltzer's 5 star rating as well.
Many consider Kobashi to be the greatest wrestler of all-time and only one man in history has more 5 star matches than him.
1 Mitsuharu Misawa - 25
Many wrestlers can only dream of having one 5 star match in their resume. Mitsuharu Misawa has 25! One of the most iconic figures in the history of wrestling, many fans around the world consider him to be the greatest wrestler that ever lived.
The 8-time world champion put on all-time classics with a number of opponents and he headlined the legendary Nippon Budokan sixty-nine times.
Tragically, Misawa died at the age of just 46 while wrestling. He would lose consciousness in the middle of the match after taking a suplex and had to be rushed to a hospital where he would pass away.
One can only imagine how much more he could have achieved if his life had not been cut short under such tragic circumstances.