10 Best Wrestling Rivalries That Kept It All In The Ring
4. Mitsuharu Misawa Vs. Kenta Kobashi
Puroresu practitioners don’t get any more legendary than Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi, whose lengthy feud helped carry a promotional run that many consider to be the best in history. Much of AJPW’s success in the 1990s came from Misawa and Kobashi, who built a laundry list of outstanding singles and tag matches together.
As with the bulk of Japan’s great wrestling rivalries, Kobashi vs. Misawa is all about the matches, their significance, and the stories forged between the ropes. Kobashi was never able to usurp Misawa as AJPW’s ace, with each of his singles victories coming in Champion Carnival tournament bouts. Thus, when 'Orange Crush' finally beat his rival for Pro Wrestling NOAH’s GHC Heavyweight Title in March 2003, the emotional outpouring was huge.
This wasn’t a feud based on an intense personal dislike, but two tremendously skilled warriors trying to beat each other for the top spot. Both were several years outside their time when Kobashi finally sealed his ultimate victory, but the 2003 bout remains a classic, and ranks among the best in a feud that produced three five-star singles matches, and countless others that still take the breath away in 2017, despite the sport’s athletic evolution.