Before Seth Rollins faces Roman Reigns and CM Punk in a triple threat match at the main event of WrestleMania 41, “The Architect” is targeting another longstanding rival: Dave Meltzer. Over the years, Rollins has been vocal about his critiques of Meltzer, the preeminent pro wrestling journalist of the last four decades. During an appearance on Not Just Football with Cam Heyward, he didn’t hold back when discussing Meltzer’s signature star ratings system for match evaluations.
“What’s worse: PFF grades for players or Dave Meltzer’s ratings for wrestling matches?” Heyward asked Rollins, alluding to Pro Football Focus’ player grades. “Oh my God! Oh, don’t even get me started,” Rollins replied. He expressed his view that the star ratings are “completely arbitrary” and not based on real statistics, but rather on one person’s subjective evaluation, questioning the credibility of such ratings. “I think the [PFF] grades are at least based on some sort of algorithm, right?”
Heyward noted that PFF grades, like Meltzer’s ratings, are impacted by a lack of context, as analysts may not fully understand a player’s responsibilities during a specific play. “They’re just looking at production and they’re looking at a stat, where we have a blitz on or we have different things on — they’re not really taking that into account,” he explained.
“So it is sort of the same thing,” Rollins concurred. “Because Dave doesn’t understand. He’s never been in the ring. He doesn’t know what story is trying to be told or the backstage political scene. He’s just rating it based on his eye test, which is a limited perspective.” He acknowledged Meltzer’s success in wrestling coverage but added, “I share the same perspective you do. It’s like, they just don’t get it, right?”
While PFF grades and Meltzer’s star ratings may have more nuance than Rollins and Heyward suggest, the essence of their discussion highlights a larger truth: both are created by individuals who may not fully grasp the comprehensive context of the performances being evaluated. Ironically, while Heyward has been a favorite among PFF analysts over the years, Meltzer has often praised Rollins, particularly for his contributions leading up to WrestleMania 41.
