(Almost) 5-Star Match Reviews: A Collection of KENTA KOBASHI Matches

Kenta Kobashi is arguably the greatest professional wrestler of modern times. In his prime he was putting on classic, time-tested, elite-level matches left and right. While there are many reasons for his reputation still holding over a decade after his retirement – his look, charisma, move-set, energy, and selling among them – there’s one very important factor behind Kobashi’s success: he is the Hulk Hogan of Japan. By this I mean Kobashi’s entire persona and match layout followed the same general structure: he takes a savage beating, starts a comeback, channels the audience’s energy, and makes a decisive, heroic turnaround. Once you see Kobashi’s wrestling through this lens it becomes impossible. Though he’s not the first to emulate this approach as it was the same storytelling archetype seen with Antonio Inoki, Rikidozan, and the Japanese sci-fi hit series Ultraman. However, where Hogan and Kobashi differ is in application of this structure. Hogan was a minimalist who understood his audience’s specific wants and gave them a curated and simplified formula. Kobashi, meanwhile, was a maximalist, a rare breed who gave everything he had in every match because he never wanted viewers to feel swindled or that they were given a subpar performance for their money. So when you take Hogan’s match skeleton and combine it with Kobashi’s in-ring maximalism, the end result is one of the closest things possible to a truly perfect wrestler.

I’ve covered Kobashi’s in-ring career extensively over the years and many of his matches are true, bona fide 5-Star Classics the likes of which you aren’t likely to see these days. But was his reputation true? Did he really give everything in every match? I don’t think so: even superheroes need days off and Kobashi, like every wrestler, had times where he didn’t need to overexert himself. Yet he did so anyway, such was the extent of his passion for wrestling. That extends into these five lesser matches of his, performances that are by no means his biggest or best performances but are worth looking at all the same.

GHC Heavyweight Championship Match: Kenta Kobashi [c] vs. Takeshi Rikio – March 6, 2004

The Story: Of the so-called New Four Heavenly Kings, Rikio was the one NOAH’s bookers selected as the first to reach the world title picture. The problem was that Rikio was, in some ways, like Taue: the one in most need of direct management involvement to reach that level since his three peers all got over on their own without the booker’s pencil. So Rikio found himself challenging for Kobashi’s world title while Kobashi was in his post-surgeries prime. At this point in time, however, Rikio was still position as a plucky underdog trying to fill shoes that were way too big for him. Given that Kobashi had a singles match against Yoshihiro Takayama coming up and an at-the-time rumored encounter with Bob Sapp in the works (which wouldn’t happen but would be replaced with a GOAT-tier singles bout with Jun Akiyama instead), Kobashi wasn’t in a position to drop the title just yet…but Rikio was going to bring the fight to him nevertheless.

The Match: Rikio clotheslines Kobashi before the bell and we get a chop battle. Kobashi wins that exchange but Rikio shoulderblocks him down. Rikio uses his sumo strength to power Kobashi into a corner and hits a lariat/splash combo for two. Rikio lands mounted forearms and a corner body block but Kobashi kicks out of a corner and dumps Rikio onto the ramp. Rikio teases a powerbomb but Kobashi counters with a back body drop. Kobashi DDT’s Rikio onto the ramp and chops his neck. Rikio escapes a facelock so Kobashi hits a delayed vertical suplex for two. He throws Rikio about ringside and lands a barricade-assisted leg drop. Rikio fights out of a chinlock so Kobashi applies a stump puller-type hold until Rikio gets a ropebreak. Kobashi works the neck with a front chancery and a cravate hold until Riko powers him into a corner and lands a dragon screw leg whip. Rikio attacks the knee extensively both in the ring and at ringside and using various submission holds. Kobashi reverses a whip into a barricade but Rikio chop blocks him off the apron.

Rikio lands a knee crusher followed by a Sharpshooter and then wraps Kobashi’s leg through the ropes. Kobashi frees himself with an enzuigiri and resorts to head-butts but Rikio tanks them. They trade “wrestling” head-butts until Rikio powers him into a corner and lands a big corner clothesline. Rikio Bucklebombs Kobashi and lands a top-rope splash for two. Kobashi resists a second powerbomb and lands a running neckbreaker. Rikio resists a suplex so Kobashi lands discus chops followed by a Half-Nelson for two. Rikio attacks first to stop a Burning Lariat and lands an Avalanche back suplex for a near-fall. A double lariat combo to both sides of the neck yield another near-fall, as does a Folding Powerbomb. Rikio tries capitalizing but Kobashi hits a lariat out of nowhere. Rikio counters a Brainbuster with a Jackhammer for two. Kobashi counters a powerbomb with a Frankensteiner and lands another lariat for another close-call. Kobashi out-strikes Rikio and lands another Half-Nelson. Rikio fights to his feet and attempts another lariat. Kobashi hits back with more discus chops and blasts him with a Burning Lariat for the three-count.

Winner and STILL GHC Heavyweight Champion after 25:28: Kenta Kobashi

You can watch the full match here.

Review: This was a perfectly acceptable singles match but a tad underwhelming as a world title bout. Everything Rikio did was mechanically and narratively sound: he used his power advantage whenever possible, he applied strategy to his attacks by targeting Kobashi’s famous weakness, and he pushed the champion to the limit until the very end. Yet for whatever reason Rikio just didn’t click with the audience as a believable future world champion. The match was slow at times and despite some logical limbwork no one believed Kobashi was in any danger of tapping out. The match was definitely solid but I get the impression NOAH’s audience wanted some more creativity out of Rikio given Kobashi’s extensive track record of withstanding techniques like those seen in this match executed by stronger and more credible threats. Still Kobashi did whatever he could with the material he was given and Rikio was pedestrian but not exceptional in any area. It’s no wonder that Kobashi was and still is so widely admired: he could take even the most mediocre or unspectacular wrestler and get a career-best performance out of them.

Final Rating: ***1/2

GHC Heavyweight Championship Match: Kenta Kobashi vs. Masahiro Chono – NJPW Ultimate Crush 2003

The Story: This is Kobashi’s only singles appearance on a NJPW show outside of special charity events like ALL TOGETHER. After successfully defending his title against Tamon Honda, Chono came from the crowd and challenged Kobashi and the champ accepted. This was one of the biggest possible matches from a star power/spectacle perspective as Chono was one of the most charismatic wrestlers around. Match content was another matter, though; Chono had a bum knee around this time and NJPW was leaning more into the MMA directive via Inokism. Still, to slow the hemorrhaging of fans, NJPW booked at least one classical wrestling match, which came in the form of this bout.

The Match: They lock-up and Kobashi easily powers Chono into a corner. Chono slips through to land some early shots but Kobashi drops him with a shoulderblock. They go nose-to-nose trading chops and forearms. Kobashi wins a knuckle lock and lands a kneelift into a delayed vertical suplex for a one-count. Kobashi works a long double-arm stretch until Chono counters with a leg hook into a stretch of his own. Kobashi gets a ropebreak and applies a deep, painful-looking headlock. Chono breaks free so Kobashi DDT’s him for two. Kobashi follows with a sleeper but Chono hits a back low blow that the referee doesn’t notice. Kobashi cuts Chono off on the top rope and lands a Superplex which appears to injure Chono’s knee. Chono tries escaping but Kobashi catches him and teases a Half-Nelson on the apron. Chono blocks and boots him to the floor and then hits a dive through the ropes. Chono takes Kobashi up the ramp and teases a powerbomb but Kobashi back body drops him. Kobashi teases a powerbomb of his own but Chono counters with a Frankensteiner. Chono uses the rope to suplex Kobashi back into the ring but only gets two. Chono lands a pair of swinging neckbreakers and a Russian leg sweep for a near-fall. Kobashi blocks some corner kicks and lands a Baba neckbreaker. He follows with machine gun chops and teases a Half-Nelson but Chono counters with a Saito Suplex. Kobashi no-sells that so Chono hits three more, each more ferocious than the last. A yakuza kick gets Chono a two-count, as does a shining version. Chono locks in the STF. Kobashi reaches out so Chono transitions to a prison lock until Kobashi reaches the ropes with his foot. They fight to their feet and Kobashi lands a Half-Nelson followed by a big lariat. Kobashi follows with a Bucklebomb/Half-Nelson combo for two. Two more Half-Nelsons cause NJPW mainstay Hiroyoshi Tenzan to jump onto the apron and tease throwing in the towel. Chono tells him no so Kobashi lands another Half-Nelson. Chono counters a Burning Lariat with a cobra twist. Kobashi throws him off and lands yet another Half-Nelson. Then he lands two consecutive Burning Lariats to win the match.

Winner and STILL GHC Heavyweight Champion after 28:27: Kenta Kobashi

You can watch the full match here.

Review: This is, unfortunately, one of the more disappointing Kobashi singles matches you’ll ever see. Kobashi’s victory was never in doubt and Chono had nothing in his arsenal that could scratch or dent the champion’s armor, nevermind pierce it. Chono looked slow and lacked power behind his techniques so he had to mask his shortcomings with charisma and storytelling. That worked to a degree, as seen with the low blow and the tease of a towel throw. Both wrestlers sold decently well but Chono lacked the credibility to sell the idea that he could win the world title. While the match retained that big fight feel to an extent, the match was very slow at times and they could’ve shaved off ten minutes. Still, kudos to Kobashi for having the guts to take Backdrops on his forehead. The man was obsessed with wrestling almost to the point of insanity, though for the most part that was for the audience’s benefit even if it cost him dearly

Final Rating: ***1/2

Kenta Kobashi vs. KENTA – October 9, 2004

The Story: This was part of KENTA’s Seven Match Trial Series, a traditional concept going back to All Japan that saw rookies/rising stars test their mettle against seven consecutive proven main-eventers. Why this concept hasn’t taken root in North America I have no idea. Anyways, this was KENTA’s sixth trial out of seven. Thus far he only managed a single win, which was over Juventud Guerrera, but suffered back-to-back losses to Yoshinari Ogawa, Jun Akiyama, Yoshihiro Takayama, and Mitsuharu Misawa. I don’t think anyone expected to suddenly turn that around against the reigning, defending GHC Heavyweight Champion, but there was still enough curiosity in seeing how far he’d get.

The Match: KENTA answers a lock-up with stiff shots but eats a LOUD chop for his actions. We get a chop/running boot exchange that keeps going until KENTA drops Kobashi. Kobashi tanks more shots to the chest and face until he eats one kick too many. KENTA maintains the aggression with kicks to the floor and a big boot over the barricade and then does the springboard/cocky foot tap combo back in the ring. KENTA blasts Kobashi with more kicks to the face but Kobashi starts no-selling. A few kicks leave Kobashi’s lip bleeding so he chops KENTA down. KENTA tries kicking Kobashi’s legs and scoop lifting him but Kobashi out-powers him and lands a Burning Sword downward chop. Kobashi chops KENTA some more and answers a charge with another chop variation for two. Kobashi applies a cobra twist/facelock combo into a bow-and-arrow for another near-fall. KENTA escapes a Boston Crab so Kobashi hits a delayed back suplex for two. KENTA struggles to stay standing as Kobashi lands his double kneelift/Russian leg sweep combo for another near-fall. Kobashi maintains control until KENTA lands a sudden kick and a counter powerslam for one. KENTA hits a springboard dropkick and then a second to the back of the head for two. KENTA teases Kobashi’s signature machine gun chop spot but switches to Kawada kicks. Another chop/kick exchange ends with an enzuigiri from KENTA and a bridging German for two. Kobashi resists a Tiger Suplex and knocks KENTA out of the air with another chop. KENTA attempts a Frankensteiner but Kobashi counters with a Bucklebomb and a Half-Nelson Suplex for two. KENTA blocks a Burning Lariat with a backslide for two as well. He roundhouse kicks the crap out of Kobashi’s head, then they start blocking and ducking each other, and KENTA uses Kobashi’s trademark discus chops. His Busaiku Knee sends both men down. KENTA hits a corner lariat and then gets Kobashi in the Torture Rack position. It’s the Ura/Inverted Go 2 Sleep. Why didn’t he use this move in WWE? One, two, Kobashi kicks out. KENTA charges again but Kobashi hits a kneelift. Kobashi lands a nasty powerbomb plus a stiff discus chop for two. A release Dragon Suplex likewise gets him a two-count so Kobashi hits the Burning Lariat to get an emphatic three-count.

Winner after 16:25: Kenta Kobashi

You can watch the full match here or here.

Review: This was the quintessential Kobashi singles match: he took everything his opponent could throw at him, endured, and came back decisively. However, KENTA was by no means buried or undercut here; if anything the fact that he lasted so long, withstood so much pain, and damaged the world champion as much as he did improved his standing. They overcame the booking handicap of the match by presenting KENTA as a Pitbull in a Chihuahua’s body as he dogged Kobashi relentlessly and even got cocky at times, which fit his in-ring personality. While the end result was never in doubt, the journey there was full of refreshing surprises.

Final Rating: ***3/4

Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship Match: Akira Taue [c] vs. Kenta Kobashi – July 24, 1996

The Story: From a critical perspective, Kobashi’s singles matches with Taue aren’t on the same level of greatness as those with Kawada or Misawa. However, Taue was a significant force in Kobashi’s career. When Kobashi first arrived at AJPW’s dojo the press mistook the two of them. Since they were of a similar card placement Kobashi cultivated in Taue a rivalry that pushed him farther. Taue, meanwhile, experienced a hotshot booking experience in 1996. In May he shocked everyone by beating Misawa for the Triple Crown and soon afterwards he defeated his partner Kawada. Wanting to create a trifecta of victories, Taue was booked to defend against Kobashi hoping to strike while the iron was hot. For what it’s worth, Kobashi was critical of this booking, believing that he wasn’t deserving of this title shot because the booking hadn’t positioned him as the most credible of challengers. In fact, he found himself in such of a creative slump in 1995-6 that he told himself that he might leave All Japan if he didn’t win here.

The Match: They jostle for control until Taue gets a dirty break on the ropes. A hard-hitting strike exchange leads to a stalemate. They lock knuckles and trade head-butts while tied together and then Taue overpowers and lands a clothesline. A throat drop onto the top rope gets Taue boos so Kobashi retaliates with a barrage of neck chops. Kobashi follows with a delayed vertical suplex and a chinlock. A kneelift hits exceptionally hard so Kobashi covers for two. Kobashi lands more chops and then applies a sort of arm-trap chinlock. That’s new. Taue escapes and hits an enzuigiri but Kobashi tanks it and dropkicks him. Kobashi follows with cross chops and a DDT but Taue counters a front chancery with a flapjack into a turnbuckle. A release German sends Kobashi falling to ringside so Taue hits a suicide dive. Back in the ring Taue hits an atomic drop/forward toss back suplex combo for two. He lands a backbreaker and locks in a Sharpshooter but Kobashi gets a ropebreak. Taue teases the dreaded Cliff Nodowa but Kobashi fights out. Kobashi attempts to dive onto Taue but Taue catches him in midair by his throat and Chokeslams him onto the ringside mats.

Back in the ring Kobashi eats a clothesline but then dodges enough signature attacks to land a bridging German Suplex for two. Taue escapes a sleeper hold so Kobashi tackles him and applies a second. On another ropebreak Kobashi lands a guillotine leg drop using the second rope for leverage. Taue resists one powerbomb but not a second and Kobashi reapplies the sleeper which becomes a sort of Side Effect slam that gets two. Kobashi charges but Taue hits a Baba neckbreaker. Taue lands one powerbomb but fails a second so he hits a jumping Dynamic Kick instead. Taue follows with a Tenryu-style top-rope elbow but Kobashi gets a ropebreak. An Avalanche Samoan Drop gets Taue another near-fall. Kobashi resists a Chokeslam as much as possible but Taue kicks him away from the ropes and lands one for two. He tries the Cliff Nodowa once more. Kobashi resists and ends up on the top turnbuckle. Kobashi blocks and lands a diving enzui legdrop from the top turnbuckle to the floor. In the ring Kobashi Chokeslams Taue and attempts a Moon sault but Taue rolls to safety. Kobashi charges for a lariat. Taue ducks and lands a Chokeslam. Kobashi no-sells and lands a running lariat.

They struggle to their feet and Taue lands a stiff shot to the jaw followed by another Dynamic Kick. Taue with a Ligerbomb. Two-count. Kobashi blocks a Tiger Suplex so Taue hits an enzuigiri. Another ropebreak. Taue attempts a Super Chokeslam. Kobashi counters with a Tornado DDT. Kobashi head-butts Taue’s gut and lands a bridging Tiger Suplex for another near-fall. Kobashi lands a running leg drop as setup and connects with the Diving Moonsault for two. Jackknife powerbomb. Another two-count. Release German. Taue fights up and hits another Dynamic Kick. Kobashi drills him with a lariat. Then another running leg drop to the back of the head. Kobashi goes to the top rope and connects with another diving leg drop. Despite losing consciousness for a moment from the impact, Kobashi manages to cover Taue. One, two, three! Kobashi achieves his dream and wins the Triple Crown!

Winner and NEW AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion after 27:25: Kenta Kobashi

You can watch the full match here.

Review: It’s understandable why this match doesn’t hold up as well as the many other 1990s All Japan classics. Kobashi’s matches with the other Kings were several orders of magnitude better than this while Taue’s best singles work was opposite Misawa. That said, this was an exciting if not somewhat underwhelming singles match. It started off a bit slow, meandered somewhat during the middle, but then erupted towards the end. Taue did his best to wear Kobashi down and vice-versa but Taue suffered for his overreliance on the Cliff Nodowa. On one hand had he landed that move he surely would’ve won given its incredible power and proven track record of turning matches around for him. On the other hand Kobashi was a dynamic and in-the-moment performer who caught onto Taue’s strategy as it happened and thus prevented that move from being executed. On offense Kobashi battered Taue with everything he had including a diving leg drop that impacted him so hard he had to switch regular finishes a month later. The match felt more free-flowing and in the moment, lacking the same narrative elements typically associated with 1990s AJPW. Still, it was an energetic match that brought the live crowd to their feet towards the end thanks to Kobashi once again channeling Hogan and coming back from the brink of destruction while Taue showed more of his placement savvy and control over the space between moves to keep Kobashi grounded and defending. It was a compelling display of the give-and-take inherent to pro wrestling, even if it is somewhat less spectacular than these wrestlers’ more famous showings.

Final Rating: ****1/4

Kenta Kobashi vs. Takao Omori – AJPW Champion Carnival 2000 Final

The Story: Takao Omori is an interesting case in AJPW history. He was a peer of Jun Akiyama’s but unlike that super-rookie Omori was solid but unspectacular wrestler. He was seen as inferior to Akiyama when they teamed in AJPW’s undercard tag division and the lesser partner in NO FEAR when Omori teamed with Yoshihiro Takayama. Negative perceptions of him were deeply engrained within AJPW, to the point that Baba vetoed Kobashi’s desperate proposal to make him his new partner after Kobashi left Misawa’s Super Generation Army. Omori languished in midcard purgatory for years until Misawa reorganized the roster and pitted Omori with Takayama. NO FEAR had a strong run towards the end of the 1990s and took part in one of the greatest sub-fifteen-minute matches you’ll ever see. Come 2000, Omori was getting a major singles push and reached the finals of that year’s singles tournament (despite being single-elimination instead of round robin). But standing in front of him was Kobashi, the defending Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion and the last of the Four Heavenly Kings to win the tournament. He had never won it before and hoped to finally achieve that career milestone before the upcoming NOAH Exodus.

The Match: The bell rings and the crowd is pro-Omori for a change. Omori wins the opening lock-up and slaps Kobashi’s face. On their second lock-up they have each other scouted but Omori appears to slip-up on an Irish whip. He recovers fast enough and gets into a chop/uppercut exchange. Omori drops Kobashi with a dropkick and drops an elbow for a one-count. Kobashi fights out of a chinlock, decimates Omori with neck chops, and hits a delayed suplex for a one-count. Omori gets a ropebreak to escape a chinlock so Kobashi throws him into and over the ringside barricade. Kobashi follows with double-kneelifts into a cobra twist but the crowd wills Omori on and he gets another break. Kobashi hits more chops and charges but Omori tackles him first. They trade suplex attempts until Omori breaks free and dropkicks Kobashi’s knee. Omori attacks that knee viciously, including by smashing it into a ringpost and through a ringside table. The referee stops him from using a chair so he applies a ringside Figure-Four instead. Back in the ring Omori works the leg more and traps an arm but Kobashi reaches the ropes.

After a struggle Kobashi reverses another Figure-Four so Omori smashes the knee into the barricade and locks in a Sharpshooter. Omori continues these focused attacks after a ropebreak but then Kobashi starts hulking up. Despite hobbling on one leg, Kobashi attacks with chops but moves too slowly and gingerly to keep up the momentum and so he eats a running swinging neckbreaker. Omori follows with a missile dropkick, dodges some chops, and lands double Dragon Suplexes for two. Suddenly Kobashi counters a corner whip with discus chops and lands a release German followed by a Baba running neckbreaker for two. Omori cuts off a Moonsault attempt and hits a Ligerbomb/diving kneedrop combo for two. Both guys duck each other’s lariats. Omori lands a wheel kick. Omori lands both a reverse and standard Ax Bomber lariats for another near-fall. Kobashi counters another lariat with a sleeper hold. Omori tries the stunner counter for this technique but Kobashi tanks it and tightens his hold and transitions into a Sleeper Suplex. Omori fights out of a powerbomb. Kobashi answers with a lariat for two. Kobashi botches a Bucklebomb but then tries again and succeeds and gets another near-fall. Omori tries fighting back but Kobashi drills him with chops and a Half-Nelson Suplex. Omori tries one more Ax Bomber. Kobashi tanks it, hits a short-range lariat of his own, and then plants Omori with the Burning Lariat to secure the win.

Winner of the 2000 Champion Carnival after 25:12: Kenta Kobashi

You can watch the full match here.

Review: This match was emblematic of the Kobashi = Hogan statement I made in the introduction. Kobashi took an extended beating by a skilled opponent who exploited a weakness, began a heroic comeback, and kept taking more hits until he was far enough ahead to score the finishing blow. Same general structure but with significantly more deviations, twists, and added steps than the prototypical Hogan output. This is why Kobashi is so fun to watch: his wrestling style connects as well as Hogan’s but he adds significantly more meat to tell a deeper and more compelling story. Omori tried taking Kobashi’s legs from under him but Kobashi endured and turned things around (though his sudden no-selling of that work was a bit unnecessary and undercut the significance of that extended legwork segment). Kobashi got far enough ahead but didn’t leave Omori in his dust so soon; they remained in lockstep until the end with Omori looking fairly strong in defeat. Though it was far from the greatest or deepest of Kobashi’s singles matches, it was as clear a sign as any that Kobashi’s formula would work with pretty much anyone and produce an exciting experience for the viewer.

Final Rating: ****1/2

As always, thanks for reading.