Five Star Rating Given To Surprising Match

Dave Meltzer has given out what may end up being the final five star rating of 2020. While there were a number of really good matches from this past week, it went to a match you may not expect.

No, it was not the men’s WarGames match (although it did come close at 4.75 stars), but rather a match from Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling NOAH. In the main event of Final Chronicle 2020, Go Shiozaki faced Takashi Sugiura in an instant classic.

This is the first match from Pro Wrestling NOAH to be given a five star rating in over 16 years. The last one being the famous match between Jun Akiyama and Kenta Kobashi at Depature in 2004.

Shiozaki defended his GHC Heavyweight Championship in a 51-minute war against Sugiura. This was a battle of Shiozaki’s insane chops and Sugiura’s forearm and knee strikes. While Sugiura was able to take almost everything out of Shiozaki, he wasn’t able to finish the job. In the end, it was Shiozaki who put his opponent away with a vicious clothesline.

This is the twelfth match of 2020 to get a five star rating or higher from Dave Meltzer. Please check out this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter for his full review of this classic match.

What are your thoughts on the above story? Let us know in the comments on Twitter or Facebook.

• go shiozaki
• takashi sugiura
• pro wrestling noah
• five star

Share this article with friends