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

Japanese wrestlers are known for being among the toughest in the entire industry. Because Japanese wrestling requires background experience in a multitude of disciplines, from amateur wrestling, to judo, to karate and beyond, many of the strikes are incredibly stiff, which takes a much bigger toll on the body. But Kobashi has made a name for himself as being one of the toughest wrestlers in Japan, which says a lot when you think about it.

Kenta Kobashi is one of the toughest men to ever enter a wrestling ring. In the majority of his matches, he took an unbelievable amount of punishment, from many stiff forearms, elbows, and kicks; to taking more ‘head drop’ moves that target his upper shoulders and neck than arguably anyone else. The fact that he could take so much punishment on a regular basis justifies his nickname of ‘Tetsujin (Iron Man)’.

However, despite being considered an ‘active’ wrestler for 25 years, in actuality, he spent many years on the shelf due to injuries. Most notably, he was inactive for over a year due to multiple knee surgeries, Kobashi wrestled for many years with bad knees, stemming from years performing Moonsaults. But despite having over 12 consecutive surgeries on his knees, he still wrestled a full schedule with NOAH, and even performed his trademark Moonsault on a few occasions.

If that doesn’t convince you of this man’s toughness, he contracted kidney cancer and severe nerve damage at different points in his later career (the latter of which must’ve come from all of those insane chops he did). But despite those roadblocks, he still came back to the wrestling ring and kept performing as if nothing had happened to him.

A common saying on wrestling forums is “Kenta Kobashi no-sold cancer.” It takes an incredibly tough and devoted wrestler to keep coming back after so many potentially life-threatening illnesses. Yet Kobashi did that on many occasions, proving just how indestructible he is.