Dave Meltzer Awards Monster Rating For Omega-Tanahashi

Respected Wrestling Observer journalist has finally revealed his long-awaited star rating for the Wrestling Kingdom main event between Kenny Omega and Hiroshi Tanahashi.

Meltzer attended the event in person and awarded star ratings for all of the other matches in last week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter but refrained from awarded a rating to Omega-Tanahashi until he had watched it again in New Japan World.

This week, Meltzer has rated the match, awarding it a mammoth *****3/4 (5.75), which makes it the joint sixth highest rating he has ever awarded.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LXhlhoq6rw

Meltzer noted that the match came across even better on television than it did in the building, due to his distance from the ring meaning a lot of the emotion and detail was lost.

Meltzer wrote:

“In most years, this would run away for match of the year, but after 2018, you can’t say that. I’d go *****3/4, which was better than I had it live because of how you notice so much more depth to the second time, and the greater emotion”

Meltzer’s top rated matches of all time are as follows:

1. Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada (*******) (June 9, 2018)
2. Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada (******1/4) (June 11, 2017)
=3. Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada (******) (August 12, 2017)
=3. Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada (******) (January 4, 2017)
=3. Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada (******) (June 3, 1994)
=6. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi (*****3/4) (August 12, 2018)
=6. Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenny Omega (*****3/4) (August 13, 2017)
=6. Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (*****3/4) (January 4, 2019)

Do you agree with Big Dave’s rating for the match? Was it one of the best matches of all time? Let us know in the comments below.

• star rating
• Hiroshi Tanahashi
• dave meltzer
• Kenny Omega

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