10 Wrestlers That NOBODY Hated

9. Kenta Kobashi

Kurt Angle
All Japan Pro Wrestling

Even the vaunted Four Pillars of All Japan Pro Wrestling's 'King's Road' era drew pedantic critique.

Despite arguably working the most great matches of them all, Mitsuharu Misawa was stoic and thus cold to some, who couldn't get into those timeless classics at an emotional level. Akira Taue was underrated - so much so that some contrarians deem him the best of the four - but he was also the least consistent big-match worker. Toshiaki Kawada was the perfect puro heel, but Kenta Kobashi was the most universally great working babyface perhaps ever.

Watch him in one of the best tag team matches ever, alongside Misawa against Kawada and Taue, on June 9, 1995. Kobashi carried a storyline injury into it. He was more bandage than leg. Kawada, playing his nastiness brilliantly, aimed a kick at it immediately. The look on Kobashi's face was awesome. He looked mortally offended and irate all at once, at this lack of sportsmanship, which set the tone for quite possibly the selling masterclass of the entire form. He sells that limb like his career is over either way and he might as well face it like a warrior. It is amazing: the simplest story elevated by the most authentic, stirring, live-and-die performance. Kenta Kobashi firing up and kicking ass is the best of the pro wrestling experience, distilled.

To not enjoy Kenta Kobashi is to not enjoy pro wrestling.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!