DeutschEnglish
Not logged in or registered. | Log In | Register | Password lost?

Ratings System Rules

The CAGEMATCH team is regularly scanning the ratings system for violations to the following rules. Any rule violation may lead to light warnings, strong warnings including deletion of all ratings and comments as well as permanent bans from the site.


1. General Guide



1.1. Responsible Behavior
Each user is accountable for their ratings and comments. It is expected that all values in the points system, from 0 to 10 (refer to paragraph 'Ratings' below), are utilized, and comments are used to explain why the rating was given. Only rate wrestlers, promotions, events, and any other database item if there is a strong foundation for the opinion. For instance, rate events that you have personally attended or viewed at least 70% of the event, not based on a text report or blog post. Similarly, only rate wrestlers and other items that you have personally seen or experienced. A simple rule of thumb is to rate only what you have personally seen or experienced.

1.2. Ratings
Eleven values are available to select when assigning a rating, ranging from 0 (piss poor) to 10 (awesome). All of them should be used. Users who only provide very low or very high ratings are quickly identified and may be attempting to manipulate the ratings or have not put in the effort to comprehend and use the system correctly. Ideally, over a longer period of time, there should be at least twice as many 4-, 5-, or 6-point ratings as 0- or 10-point ratings. The ratings system can only work if the majority of users utilize the points responsibly.

1.3. Comments
The purpose of any comment is to explain and add context to the rating. Stay on topic, and the comment should be about the database item and not about other items or users. Do not use your comment to promote yourself (e.g., adding signatures, shouting, etc.). This makes you appear unprofessional. Consider this: if someone reads your comment, they should feel that their time was well spent. This includes writing complete sentences and using proper grammar. Specifically for events, do not only leave star ratings for matches to "justify" your event rating. Nobody cares about your personal star ratings! Think about what type of comments you would like to read. If you cannot come up with an interesting or thoughtful comment that explains your rating, do not leave a comment! Also, please only leave comments in English or German. Although other languages exist, we currently do not have the resources to support them.

1.4. Manipulation
Several methods are used to detect manipulation attempts. Sometimes, it may take time, but we usually find them or are informed by other users. Please refrain from attempting to manipulate the top ratings to promote your favorite wrestlers, promotions, or any other items. This is not how a community-based, democratic ratings system functions. If you do not respect other users, we will take disciplinary action.

1.5. Spelling and Grammar
Although we are on the internet, we are not in a chat room. Your comments should be permanent and enhance the quality of the site, not only through content, but also through readability. Use punctuation and proper grammar. Begin words with a capitalized letter if appropriate. Consider this: any standard you expect from us and the website, we expect from you.

1.6. Behavior
It is straightforward: do not behave like an idiot! Do not use all-caps to scream, insult or verbally attack wrestlers or other users, or act like a spoiled child! If you are unsure what this means or continually demonstrate that you do not care about this straightforward rule, we will remove you from our community. We strive to be a friendly, inclusive wrestling community, but we have no qualms about banning those who only care about themselves. We expect all users to behave with respect towards others in the community.

In summary, following these rules is crucial for maintaining the integrity of the CAGEMATCH ratings system. Users must take responsibility for their ratings and comments, utilize all values in the points system, provide thoughtful comments that add value to the site, refrain from attempting to manipulate ratings, use proper spelling and grammar, and behave with respect towards others in the community. Violating any of these rules may result in disciplinary action, including permanent bans from the site. Let's work together to make CAGEMATCH a welcoming and high-quality community for all wrestling fans.


2. Detailed Warning or Ban Criteria



The CAGEMATCH administration uses the following criteria to issue warnings or bans to users of the ratings system. These lists may be adjusted and extended at any time at the discretion of the CAGEMATCH administration. We expect all users to exercise common sense, ethical behavior, and constructive motivation when using the ratings system. While we consider most of these guidelines to be common sense, we still recommend reading them thoroughly to ensure you understand them completely.

2.1. Yelling, copying comments from other users and/or other behavior detrimental to the community

The CAGEMATCH community values respect and constructive contributions. To maintain a positive environment, the following behaviors are strictly prohibited:

  • Yelling or using all caps in comments

  • Copying comments from other users or websites and presenting them as your own

  • Using the ratings system for personal notes or advertising purposes

  • Promoting hate or discriminatory behavior in any form

  • Using the ratings system to push personal or someone else's agenda

  • Commenting in a language other than the one set in your account (English or German only)

  • Using artificial intelligence or derivative tools to generate comments

Recommendation: We remind users that the ratings system is designed for rating wrestling matches and events. It is not a chat room, forum, or social media platform. Please refrain from discussing politics or other unrelated topics in the comments section. Our goal is to foster a welcoming and enjoyable community focused on wrestling and the CAGEMATCH database.

2.2. Insults against other users

  • Direct or indirect insults towards other users are strictly prohibited.

  • It is not allowed to imply that other users lack intelligence for disagreeing with your opinion.

Recommendation: The ratings system is not a platform for personal attacks or arguments. Stay focused on the database entries and share constructive opinions. Avoid interacting with other users unless it's in a helpful or positive manner. Let's make the CAGEMATCH community a respectful and welcoming place for everyone.

2.3. Insults against workers, promotions, etc.

  • It is not acceptable to insult, defame or make personal attacks against wrestlers or any other workers in the wrestling business.

  • It is not acceptable to use the ratings system for spreading false information or making baseless claims about a person's personal life or character.

Recommendation: Remember that wrestlers are human beings who deserve respect. You can express your opinions about their work, performances or public statements without resorting to personal attacks or hate speech. It's perfectly fine to disagree with a wrestler's past or current behavior and include that as a basis for your rating or comment, but it should be done in a civil manner and stay on the topic of disagreement. Refrain from making derogatory comments about a wrestler's race, gender, body shape, heritage, height, weight or any other personal attribute. The goal of the ratings system is to facilitate interesting and informative discussions about wrestling, and we want to maintain a welcoming and respectful environment for everyone.

2.4. Rating of events, wrestlers, etc. that you (cannot) have not seen yourself

  • It is not allowed to rate database entries based on hearsay or reports read on the internet.

  • It is not allowed to rate wrestlers that you have not seen perform, solely because of their appearance or social media presence.

  • It is not allowed to base your opinion of a wrestler on a brief television appearance or highlight reel.

  • It is not allowed to rate events if you have only seen highlights or clips on YouTube.

  • It is not allowed to rate promotions if you have only watched a couple of events and have no understanding of the storylines.

  • It is not allowed to rate titles solely based on the current champion.

  • It is not allowed to rate wrestlers just because you heard that they are a "wrestling legend" without having actually watched their matches.

Recommendation: It is important to have firsthand experience when rating wrestlers, events, and promotions. Don't rely on secondhand information or hearsay. Take the time to watch matches and events in their entirety, and try to understand the context of the storylines before rating them. This will help ensure that your ratings are informed and accurate.

2.5. Bad grammar, no punctuation or otherwise unreadable comments

  • It is not allowed to use the ratings system as a chat room or to write comments in a manner that is difficult to read.

  • It is not allowed to write comments that lack proper punctuation or sentence structure.

  • It is not allowed to format comments in any way other than as a single block of text.

Recommendation: The ratings system is intended for high-quality content. While the quality of the comments themselves is subjective, the quality of the writing is objective. Please use proper grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure to ensure your comments are clear and readable. Treat comments in the ratings system as encyclopedia entries, not disposable social media comments.

2.6. Imbalanced rating pattern (e.g. only 10s and/or 0s or close to the extremes)

  • It is not allowed to use only 10s or 0s as ratings.

  • It is not allowed to heavily trend towards extreme ratings (either close to 10 or close to 0).

  • It is not allowed to overwhelmingly (70+%) use extreme ratings (10 or 0) even if you otherwise have used more balanced ratings.

Recommendation: The ratings system is designed to measure the quality of events, promotions, and wrestlers in a balanced and nuanced manner. Therefore, using an imbalanced rating pattern, such as only 10s and/or 0s or extreme ratings, can skew the overall rating of an entry and misrepresent its quality. We encourage users to use the full range of ratings available and to consider a balanced and thoughtful approach when rating an entry. While it's understandable that users may have strong feelings about certain events or wrestlers, it's important to reflect on the entry objectively and consider its merits before assigning a rating. The CAGEMATCH administration closely monitors rating patterns and may issue warnings or bans to users who consistently use an imbalanced rating pattern.

2.7. Systematic down- or uprating of wrestlers, promotions, etc.

  • It is not allowed to downrate content from one promotion just because you prefer another. For example, it is not acceptable to downrate WWE content just because you prefer AEW, or vice versa.

  • It is not allowed to downrate content from a promotion that you believe is less popular than others. For example, it is not acceptable to downrate New Japan content just because you cannot fathom that non-US wrestling can be more popular.

  • It is not allowed to downrate content just based on your narrow-minded view of what should be "on top" and what should not. Every promotion, wrestler, and match has its own unique strengths and weaknesses, and should be rated accordingly.

  • It is not allowed to downrate wrestlers from different generations simply because they were not a part of the generation that you grew up with or believe was the "greatest ever". Every generation of wrestling has produced talented performers, and they should be judged on their own merits.

  • It is not allowed to manipulate the ratings system in any way. This includes creating multiple accounts to upvote or downvote content, asking friends to upvote your content, or sneakingly downrating content that is not from your preferred promotion.

  • It is not allowed to rate wrestlers or other content based on their positions in the top lists or your own opinion on where they should be. Ratings should be based solely on the quality of the content.

  • It is not allowed to downrate a promotion or match because you dislike the owner or one of the participants.

  • It is not allowed to do hit-and-run ratings, i.e. opening an account to rate only one person or a small number of people and then never use the account again (tracked over several years).

Recommendation: The CAGEMATCH ratings system is designed to provide an objective measure of the quality of wrestling content. To ensure that the system is fair and accurate, it is important to rate content based on its own merits, rather than on personal biases or preferences. Users should be open-minded and consider all aspects of the content being rated, including its strengths and weaknesses, before assigning a rating. Any systematic manipulation of the system will be detected and removed, and repeat offenders may be banned.

2.8. Comments that do not focus on the database entry

  • Use the ratings system for its intended purpose, not as a chat room.

  • Do not use comments to advertise products or websites.

  • Keep comments related to the subject of the database entry, i.e. wrestling.

  • Do not base your rating of a title or promotion on isolated incidents or social media posts.

  • Do not objectify wrestlers by rating them based on their looks or sex appeal.

  • Do not address users or the CAGEMATCH team in comments.

  • Do not mention a rival promotion or its owner or booker or television show or any other person or entity that could be misunderstood as tribalism.

Recommendation: Stay on topic and focus on the subject matter when leaving comments and ratings.

2.9. Comments that do not give sufficient reasons for a rating

  • It is not allowed to write irrelevant or nonsensical text just to meet the minimum character requirements for comments.

  • It is not allowed to complain about having to write a reason for an uncommon opinion.

  • It is not allowed to write a wall of text that has nothing to do with the subject or your disagreement with it.

Recommendation: Provide a clear and concise reason for your rating. Don't waste everyone's time with irrelevant or incoherent comments.

2.10. Insufficient reasons for event ratings (match ratings are not allowed as event rating reasons)

  • Using only match ratings as a substitute for actual comments in event ratings is not allowed.

  • Complaining about being unable to rate every match on a card and then rating every match on a card in the event rating without any additional context is not allowed.

Recommendation: As explained in the general guidelines above, a long list of personal star ratings without any comments is not helpful. If you can't write at least 1-2 sentences about each match, it's better not to leave a comment at all. We regularly purge users who don't follow this rule.

2.11. Trolling behavior

  • Avoid rating only highly popular or "in the news" wrestlers, promotions, events or matches every couple of weeks or months.

  • Avoid philosophizing on the "state of wrestling" when rating the latest pay per view event.

  • Do not start or engage in WWE vs. AEW arguments or any other fake promotion wars.

  • Do not continuously proclaim the dominance of Japanese women's wrestling over American women's wrestling at every single opportunity.

  • Avoid behaving like a know-it-all wrestling historian/genius who knows more about anything than anybody else.

  • Do not play a "gimmick" in the ratings system.

  • Do not organize or engage in uprating/downrating parties.

  • Do not question the merits of the ratings system while commenting as part of the ratings system.

  • Do not use the ratings system for attacks against wrestlers or promotions because someone on the internet said it's the right thing to do and you have no functioning personality or own opinion.

  • If you are offended by any of the sarcastic or cynical remarks in this guide, it is recommended that you do not use the ratings system.

Recommendation: Trolling behavior can be very harmful to the community, so it is important to be aware of it and avoid engaging in it. We are very strict in our reactions to trolling behavior and try to detect it as much as possible.

2.12. Backseat policing

  • It is not allowed to comment on other user's rating behavior in your comments.

  • It is not allowed to "counter" a troll's 0 rating with a 10 rating of your own, or vice versa.

Recommendation: We appreciate users reporting misuse of the ratings system to us through our email (team@cagematch.net) or contact form. However, please refrain from engaging in backseat policing, as this behavior is not productive and can lead to negative consequences for both parties. Let us handle the situation and focus on providing quality ratings and comments for the database entries.

Final words

We believe that the vast majority of users on the ratings system are using it in a responsible and sensible manner, and have never been warned or actively monitored. Overall, we feel that the system is working well, although there is always room for improvement. If you have any questions or concerns about any of the guidelines or rules, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are always happy to answer your questions and are open to suggestions on how to improve the system.

However, if you believe that the guidelines or rules are unfair and limit your freedom of speech, then it's best to not participate in the ratings system at all. We actively monitor the system and will take action against those who violate the rules, especially those who engage in hateful, trolling, or manipulative behavior.

We want to express our gratitude to the thousands of users who have been using the ratings system responsibly and have not caused any issues. Your contributions are greatly appreciated, and we hope that you will continue to use the system in a responsible and respectful manner.