Top Rated Matches / Best Match You Have Ever Seen

[blueandgold]

Drop your top rated matches here or any match that you would consider the best you have ever seen... I have a few matches rated on a five-star scale with a criteria that factors story, competitiveness, talent, ranking, and stage. I've got a few to share.

 

Five Star Matches (Greatest of All Time)

• Lincoln McIlravy vs. Gerry Abas 3/20/1993 Ames, IA - NCAA Division I Championships, 142 lb. championship
• Mark Ironside vs. Cary Kolat 1/29/1996 Iowa City, IA - NWCA All-Star Classic, 134 lb. match
• Darrion Caldwell vs. Brent Metcalf 3/21/2009 St. Louis, MO - NCAA Division I Championships, 149 lb. championship
• Jayson Ness vs. Daniel Dennis 3/20/2010 Omaha, NE - NCAA Division I Championships, 133 lb. championship

4.75 Star Matches (Near-Perfect)

• Kyle Dake vs. David Taylor 1/2/2013 Chattanooga, TN - Southern Scuffle, 165 lb. championship
• Isaiah Martinez vs. Jason Nolf 3/6/2016 Iowa City, IA - Big Ten Championships, 157 lb. championship
• Isaiah Martinez vs. Jason Nolf 3/19/2016 New York City, NY - NCAA Division I Championships, 157 lb. final
• Seth Gross vs. Tariq Wilson 3/16/2018 Cleveland, OH - NCAA Division I Championships, 133 lb. semifinal
• Nick Suriano vs. Daton Fix 3/23/2019 Pittsburgh, PA - NCAA Division I Championships, 133 lb. championship
• Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Joey McKenna 3/23/2019 Pittsburgh, PA - NCAA Division I Championships, 141 lb. championship
• Matt Ramos vs. Spencer Lee 3/17/2023 Tulsa, OK - NCAA Division I Championships, 125 lb. semifinal

4.5 Star Matches (Instant Classic)

• Kyle Dake vs. David Taylor 11/3/2012 Washington D.C. - NWCA All-Star Classic, 165 lb. match
• Logan Stieber vs. Tony Ramos 3/23/2013 Des Moines, IA - NCAA Division I Championships, 133 lb. Championship
• Kyle Dake vs. David Taylor 3/23/2013 Des Moines, IA - NCAA Division I Championships, 165 lb. championship
• Zain Retherford vs. Logan Stieber 12/15/2013 State College, PA - Penn State vs. Ohio State Dual, 141 lb. match
• Isaiah Martinez vs. Dylan Ness 3/8/2015 Columbus, OH - Big Ten Championships, 157 lb. championship
• Myles Martin vs. Bo Nickal 3/19/2016 New York City, NY - NCAA Division I Championships, 174 lb. championship
• Kyle Snyder vs. Nick Gwiazdowski 3/19/2016 New York City, NY - NCAA Division I Championships, 285 lb. championship
• Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Jaydin Eierman 3/16/2018 Cleveland, OH - NCAA Division I Championships, 141 lb. semifinal
• Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Bryce Meredith 3/17/2018 Cleveland, OH - NCAA Division I Championships, 141 lb. championship
• Gable Steveson vs. Mason Parris 3/8/2020 Piscataway, NJ - Big Ten Championships, 285 lb. championship

 

There are so many more I'm missing, but I'm having a brain fart and can't think right now. Drop yours here.

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[Wrestleknownothing]

The other Bo Nickal v Myles Martin.

He's got the chin...for the team title.

[GreatWhiteNorth]

2006 Konrad over Mocco in 4th OT for NCAA Title at Hwt

Edited January 18 by GreatWhiteNorth

[flyingcement]

Rohn vs Lambrecht

Trenge vs Hahn

Jenkins vs Taylor 

[dragit]

2 hours ago, Wrestleknownothing said:

The other Bo Nickal v Myles Martin.

He's got the chin...for the team title.

Nice.  Props to Tim Johnson, who I oft criticize, for that classic call.

[lu_alum]

Vincenzo (Frosh) over IMar (JR) NCAA final
I have others, but I didn’t see this on the OP.

Troy Letters over Tyrone Lewis - NCAA Semi-Final



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[lu_alum]

Vincenzo (Frosh) over IMar (JR) NCAA final
I have others, but I didn’t see this on the OP.

Troy Letters over Tyrone Lewis - NCAA Semi-Final

Building on the Lehigh theme:
Troy Letters over Tyrone Lewis - NCAA Semi-Final
Troy Letters over Tyrone Lewis - NCAA Final
Darian Cruz over Thomas Gilman - NCAA Semi- Final
Darian Cruz over Ethan Lizak- NCAA Final
Rob Rohan over Josh Lambrecht - NCAA Final (already listed)

Other Non-Lehigh bouts:
Zeke Moisey over Thomas Gilman - NCAA Semi-Final
Jason Nolf WBF IMar - dual at Illinois (I believe this was IMar’s first loss)

Three-Bout Parlay from DeSanto’s Frosh season:
Austin DeSanto over Stevan Micic - CKLV
Stevan Micic over Austin DeSanto - NCAA Quarter-Final
Scott Delveccio over Austin DeSanto - NCAA R12
* ADS led 6-2 with 0:50 to go & is on bottom
* ADS turtles on bottom, giving up three one-point stalling calls
* ADS didn’t realize Delveccio was on his way to earning1:01 of RT
* ADS Loses in SV



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[lu_alum]

It lasted less than 3min but qualifies as an Instant Classic…
Ryan Lang WBF Darrion Caldwell - NCAA QF


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[Ohio Elite]

A couple years ago at Ncaas Austin Gomez and Bryce Andonian had one of the craziest matches I've ever seen. Alot of upper body throws in that match.

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

1 hour ago, Ohio Elite said:

A couple years ago at Ncaas Austin Gomez and Bryce Andonian had one of the craziest matches I've ever seen. Alot of upper body throws in that match.

True.

Also most matches where Andonian wrestles Ed Scott.

 

They've had a couple like this one.

[1032004]

High school, but this one’s up there for me

 

[jchapman]

Cole Konrad throws and pins Steve Mocco to secure the National Duals Championship in 2006.

[ionel]

Mitch Shelton pins Dr Death (Steve Williams).

[Winners Circle]

Peyton Robb v Jacori Teemer 2022 NCAA's consi-semi (I think).

Shayne Van Ness v Ethen Miller 2023 NCAA's R1. 

Jay Borschel vs Chris Heinrich 2010 NCAA's semi.

 

[Quaker118]

Schultz  and Banach NCAA final easily one of the best. Banach had beaten him earlier that season. 

[jchapman]

Randy Lewis vs Tom Brands 1988 Olympic Team Qualifier

Tom learns about double over hooks.

[AgaveMaria]

Schultz vs Banach.  All the hoopla of Banach going for a 4th NCAA title - before he had won Three.

Add in Mark Schultz went up a weight for the season and stated it was specifically to take down Banach.

 

 

[Gus]

All the matches in the Randy Lewis vs John Smith series from the 1988 olympic trials and qualifiers. 

[TNwrestling]

Jordan Leen vs Jordan Burroughs CKLV 2008 

Edited January 18 by TNwrestling

[TNwrestling]

J Jaggers vs Chad Mendez NCAA Finals 2008

[insidecradle]

Yianni vs Meridith. I was 3rd row and a big Yianni fan so it was special.

[CHROMEBIRD]

Solid list. No arguments here. I might add the Bubba vs. Taylor NCAA final near the Ramos vs. Lee match because of the sheer shock of it. Taylor just steamrolled through everyone that season and no one saw it coming. 

Also what's your scoring weights and methodology for your star ratings? Just curous.

[forkemaz]

7 hours ago, Ohio Elite said:

A couple years ago at Ncaas Austin Gomez and Bryce Andonian had one of the craziest matches I've ever seen. Alot of upper body throws in that match.

They wrestled again on the backside too

[Ohio Elite]

42 minutes ago, forkemaz said:

They wrestled again on the backside too

I remember that! Always fun to see both guys let it fly.

[blueandgold]

1 hour ago, CHROMEBIRD said:

Solid list. No arguments here. I might add the Bubba vs. Taylor NCAA final near the Ramos vs. Lee match because of the sheer shock of it. Taylor just steamrolled through everyone that season and no one saw it coming. 

Also what's your scoring weights and methodology for your star ratings? Just curous.

So, I stole my star rating scale from Jim Cornette and Weasel Dooley. When they would review pro wrestling matches, they said they only did four stars because that’s what the TV Guide used to do for the movies. A zero-star would be known as a “dud,” a one-star was crappy, two stars was average, three was pretty good, and four stars meant they tore the house down. The five-star match rating was introduced when Terry Funk and Jerry Lawler had a blow away match in the 1970s and they deemed it superior to anything they’d ever seen.
 

Over time, Dave Meltzer picked up the concept and added half and quarter-star ratings to the scale. So, I retained the half and quarter-star thing, but added in certain factors to make separation clear, those being story, ranking, competitiveness, talent level, and stage.

 

On my scale, anything 4 and above is outstanding, but 4.5-5 range means it’s more memorable to me and has something specific that took it to that level. A 5-star match also just means without a doubt it’s the best match I’ve seen. What held a match like Yianni and Joey McKenna back from being five stars was because of the questionable call that put a sour taste on the match or the extremely long injury time for Ramos and Lee. It’s really nitpicking at a certain point, but it works for my brain. I hope I explained that decently.

Edited January 18 by blueandgold