(Almost) 5-Star Match Reviews: Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Kenta Kobashi – AJPW, February 27, 1992

Alright, it’s time to return to 1990s All Japan and check out another match from everyone’s favorite overachiever, Kenta Kobashi.

Kobashi’s matches have largely withstood the best of time better than most wrestlers to reach their peak in the 1990s. Many fans still remember his legendary wars with Mitsuharu Misawa, Toshiaki Kawada, Steve Williams, Jun Akiyama, and Stan Hansen. But there’s one opponent of his that doesn’t get all that much recognition by comparison: Jumbo Tsuruta. There’s an unfortunate reason for this: Tsuruta’s main-event career was cut short in late 1992 once he was diagnosed with Hepatitis. This was a crippling blow to an already beleaguered All Japan which was enduring long-term fallout from Tenryu’s SWS exodus two years earlier.

Tsuruta’s illness and unceremonious departure from All Japan’s main-event spot had its own spillover effect on the company: none of the Four Pillars besides Misawa got a critical singles win over him and Misawa’s was perceived as lucky and not decisive. Part of this was by design since Giant Baba was a notoriously conservative booker who took ages to pull the trigger on big decisions. It’s possible that Kobashi knew his chances of winning here were slim, but could he still get even more over with the audience all the same?

The Story

Kobashi and Tsuruta had been on opposite sides of the ring for two years. Tsuruta was the leader of his stable while Kobashi was the #3 man in his. And based on how seniority worked in these stables, the lowest-ranking wrestler was the fall guy nine times out of ten. Given the gulf in status between Tsuruta and Kobashi, and given that Tsuruta was still company ace, few people expected Kobashi to win. After all, Tsuruta’s big program was with Kobashi’s senior Misawa; if Kobashi pulled off even the most ludicrous of surprise wins, all the money in seeing Tsuruta face Misawa one-on-one would go out the window.

Still, though, it was unwise to ever count Kobashi out. He had made a name for himself as an incredibly hard worker who learned to play with the big boys despite his marked lack of legit background or credentials. He had improved significantly year-over-year and was beloved for his tenacity and work ethic. He absorbed plenty of knowledge by sharing the ring with the biggest stars the company had to offer. And after spending four years as pretty much every main-eventer’s whipping boy he became hard as leather.

So on the fourth anniversary of his wrestling debut could Kobashi continue his overachieving ways and pull off a big win over the biggest start in the company?

The Match

This took place on February 27, 1992. It was rated **** out of five by the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer.

They lock-up and struggle for control against the ropes until Tsuruta hits an early forearm. Tsuruta headlocks Kobashi and does the ‘not letting go on an Irish whip’ spot that always makes that simple move look more effective. Kobashi rolls over to a bridging pin for a one-count so Tsuruta elbows him and lands some stiff forearms. Kobashi breaks free on the ropes and lands a massive slap. He applies a headlock of his own but Tsuruta answers with a standing knee crusher…which Kobashi fights through. Tsuruta tries powering out of the headlock but Kobashi out-muscles him. Kobashi maintains his strength advantage for a bit until Tsuruta gets a ropebreak and lands a cheap elbow shot followed by a kneelift to the gut.

Tsuruta lands more shots to the gut followed by a big scoop slam and a Boston crab. Kobashi gets a ropebreak, a sudden Irish whip counter, and lands a sudden lariat to send Tsuruta to the floor. Kobashi sends Tsuruta into the barricade and follows with a running bulldog off the apron and a plancha. Back in the ring Kobashi works Tsuruta’s left leg and chops Tsuruta’s face whenever he tries to break free. Kobashi switches holds, first to a half crab and then to a Texas cloverleaf. Tsuruta gets a ropebreak so Kobashi applies another Boston crab at ringside. He chases Tsuruta around the ring for a bit until he attempts a Backdrop suplex but Tsuruta blocks and hits back with a knee crusher onto a ringside table.

Back in the ring Tsuruta lands some nasty knee smashers and locks in a vicious half crab that forces Kobashi to rush to the nearest set of ropes. Kobashi hulks up All Japan-style, tanks some kicks to the face, lands a flurry of kneelifts, and hits a running shoulderblock. But Tsuruta shuts him down immediately with his own kneelifts and a vicious lariat. Tsuruta follows with two more short-range lariats and goes for a third but Kobashi counters with a DDT followed by a Baba running neckbreaker for two.

Kobashi applies a sleeper but Tsuruta gets to the ropes. Kobashi pulls him back and reapplies it with bodyscissors but Tsuruta rolls to ringside so Kobashi DDT’s him on the exposed floor. Tsuruta does a sort of seizure sell but still kicks out at two once back in the ring. Tsuruta fights out of another sleeper and takes down a charging Kobashi with a facecrusher. Tsuruta sends Kobashi into the ropes and tries another lariat. Kobashi ducks and tries another sleeper. Tsuruta counters with a Backdrop suplex. Both men go down but Tsuruta gets up first and lands a jumping knee. A second jumping knee with his kneepad removed sends Kobashi to the floor. Tsuruta drops Kobashi face-first on that same announce table and then lands a top-rope crossbody press into the ring. One, two, Kobashi survives.

Kobashi fights on but Tsuruta eventually lands a folding powerbomb for two. Tsuruta tries another Backdrop but Kobashi does the Misawa midair press counter for two and then lands a Backdrop of his own followed by a scoop slam and a moonsault for another near-fall. Kobashi’s on fire as he lands more chops, hits a running corner lariat, and traps Tsuruta in a small package for two once more. He tries keeping the pressure but Tsuruta lands a big boot followed by an even bigger lariat. Kobashi resists another Backdrop so Tsuruta lariats the back of his head. Tsuruta lands some punches to the head and swings for another lariat. Kobashi ducks and lands a bridging German suplex for two. He tries another German but Tsuruta elbows out. Tsuruta charges but runs into a powerslam. Kobashi dives off the top rope but Tsuruta knees him in the stomach for an incredibly close 2.9-count. Tsuruta follows with a running neckbreaker of his own and a successful Backdrop to get the pin and the win.

Winner after 21:39: Jumbo Tsuruta

Review

I’ve lost count of how many Kenta Kobashi matches I’ve seen and reviewed and I have yet to be disappointed. The guy was and is still admired in wrestling for good reason: most of his biggest matches, this one included, carried this high-stakes aura and this real sense of desperation. Kobashi knew how to look strong in quick bursts and also how to really sell from underneath. This made the match come across as this serious upward climb because Kobashi lacked the tools needed to put Tsuruta down for the three-count. Though he tried everything he had, Tsuruta was simply tougher. Maybe he just didn’t hit hard enough so he resorted to extreme tactics like a ringside DDT, a plancha to the floor, and a diving moonsault despite having his legs worked over.

Though Kobashi no-selling Tsuruta’ legwork was a low point for the match (and a common enough flaw in his big matches), it was largely forgotten once both guys traded bombs towards the end. Yet it wasn’t one of those typical my-turn-your-turn exchanges but a struggle for each man to land but a single move. Despite all these complicated techniques the match never lost its sense of struggle or competition. It never felt or came across as something cooperative or choreographed. It felt closer to a classic NWA-style match but with a bit of stereotypical Japanese stiffness thrown in for good measure. There were brief moments of flash yet things never got too showy or superfluous. Both these guys knew how to balance putting on visually impressive techniques with a competition-driven athleticism that made this random singles match come across as a serious, high-stakes war that moved at a smooth pace that made those twenty-plus minutes fly by.

Final Rating: ****

Even on an off day Kenta Kobashi doesn’t disappoint. His matches are all action and don’t require that much background or context to enjoy. He and Tsuruta had an exciting match here, even if it was pretty low stakes compared to what was going on elsewhere in All Japan at the time. It was very basic and lacking in flash by today’s standards yet what these guys did was enough to tell their story cohesively and for Kobashi to come across as the gutsy, never-say-die machine he’d portray for the rest of his career.

Though both men had better matches before this one and would have better ones after this – Tsuruta had amazing singles matches with Misawa as mentioned, plus a great one with Tenryu in 1989 and some amazing six-mans in 1990-92 while Kobashi had at least one awesome match with Stan Hansen in 1991 and would be a frequently seen name in MOTYC discussions for the rest of the decade – this is an interesting match-up that serves as an interesting glimpse into some of the lesser-known matches in AJPW cannon.

Thanks for reading.