Dave Meltzer has rated two matches from the recent NJPW Battle of the Valley pay-per-view very highly.
Following on from the success of Wrestle Kingdom 18, New Japan returned to the United States to present the show live from San Jose, California. As has been reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter the final two matches may well be match of the year contenders.
The first match to be awarded five stars was the semi-main event of the show, where Jon Moxley defeated Shingo Takagi in a no disqualification match. Meltzer compared the brutal affair to the Moxley vs. Adam Page death match that took place at Revolution 2023. For each of their respective careers, this is Moxley’s 6th match to be awarded five stars and Takagi’s 18th.
The main event match between Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay was the other match to achieve the five star rating from Meltzer. In what was advertised as one of Ospreay’s final matches for New Japan, the encounter was described in the Newsletter as “a genuine classic.” In a somewhat ironic twist, although the event was built around being one of Ospreay’s final appearances for the promotion, Kazuchika Okada would also announce that he was leaving NJPW less than a week later.
Dave Meltzer Adds To Ospreay’s & Okada’s Records
Unsurprisingly, a match between two of the best wrestlers in the world right now was all but guaranteed to be well-received. For Okada, this is his 27th match to receive the accolade from Meltzer. Ospreay continues to extend his lead at the top of the table, now having 33 top-rated matches in his in-ring career.