Honestly, I’d say that explains a lot, although I’d say a lot of opinion hinges on feelings toward the characters and/or IPs being featured in an episode, assuming DB hasn’t gotten to the point where people come to be preconditioned to hate anything they do, justified or not.
As for your love examples: I’d say Saitama vs Popeye was probably the best way Saitama could have been featured in the show, and Balrog vs TJ Combo was just so damn good. From taking actual boxing styles into account, to treating and animating things like an actual title fight, to the music flowing well, everything about that I think is Death Battle when it’s hitting on all cylinders. Not sure if that’s the magnum opus for them, but I’d say that’s an episode you gotta put in the “must watch” and “best episodes” list if you ask me.