10 Reasons Kenta Kobashi Is The Greatest Wrestler Of The Modern Era

As legendary as Kobashi’s career has become, there was a time when he was just a rookie like everyone else. But unlike many wrestlers during their first few years, Kobashi wasn’t a dominant juggernaut who cut through his enemies like a not knife through butter. In fact, he was the opposite: he lost his first 63 matches in a row.

Now, under normal circumstances, that would be a surefire way for a wrestler to become a jobber for life. However, Kobashi’s unstoppable determination and never-say-die attitude caused fans to invest emotionally in every single one of his matches. By the time he won his first match, the crowd reaction was unbelievable, as all of their investment was worth it.

This eventually turned into a core aspect of his personality and ‘gimmick’: Burning Spirit. Basically, Kobashi became a lifetime babyface who never broke the rules or used any underhanded tactics; all he did was attack his opponents as much as he could, and absorbed more punishment than was even though possible. He became the prototypical Japanese wrestler, in the sense that he believed in honor, respected his partners and opponents, always did what was right, and never game up, no matter how much pain he was in.

You can see how this gimmick parallels that of John Cena. Cena also never gives up, and has that ‘inner fire’, if you will, that shows his unshakeable determination. The big differences, however, are that Kenta Kobashi was a much better storyteller, had many more legendary matches, and didn’t need a microphone to show charisma.