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

Kenta Kobashi has earned a reputation for taking part in some of the best matches in wrestling history. A big part of why they were so good is because on top of having one of the most devastating arsenals of wrestling maneuvers in Japan, he was also a masterful storyteller.

One of the best examples of this mastery occurred on June 9th, 1995, in a match that pitted Kobashi and Mitsuharu Misawa against the Holy Demon Army (Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue). The Army was the heel team in that match, and used multiple double-team moves to overpower both Misawa and Kobashi. As the face team, Kobashi did whatever he could to gain the sympathy of the crowd and get them to invest in the story. When Kawada hit Misawa (who was at the corner) with a stiff kick, Kobashi immediately left the ring to check on his partner. Upon returning, he started fighting back with a new fire that spoke of revenge and determination to get back at the bullying heels.

But it’s what he did at the end of the match that truly spoke of his ability to tell a great story. Misawa, prone from multiple attacks, was getting stomped on by Kawada and Taue, and Kobashi actually covered Misawa with his own body, willing to take the punishment to protect his partner and friend. No matter how many times the Army attacked Kobashi to keep him down, he continued to rush back in to save Misawa, even if it meant more serious harm to himself. (This takes place multiple times between 41:55 and 45:03 in that video).

Just listen to the crowd reaction as this takes place. The normally-silent Japanese audience invests their emotions fully into this moment, as it speaks of heroism, sacrifice and ‘Burning Spirit’.

Kawada and Taue won in the end, yet despite getting some cheers from the fans, many others were more concerned about Kobashi and Misawa. This is one of the most dramatic and amazing wrestling matches in pro wrestling history and some have even called it the greatest tag team match of all time.

Words don’t do justice to Kobashi’s amazing ring psychology; his matches have to be seen to be believed.