10 Wrestlers Who Got Over By Losing
5. Kenta Kobashi
Few careers have been curated with as much elegance as that of Kenta Kobashi.
A hulking specimen, he was initially rejected by All Japan Pro Wrestling, his dreams crushed by a lack of sporting credentials at the high school and college level. But the drive that saw him ascend to greatness was inherent and unwavering. He started working out in a gym near the AJPW office, and worked so hard - harder than anybody else - that the owner was sufficiently impressed enough to recommend him to Giant Baba, upon learning of his ambition.
Baba was similarly impressed. Kobashi was said to have such a likeable disposition and unreal work ethic that Baba figured a packed Budokan might one day respond in the same way. This was some premonition. After beaming through a drab, rural nothing show he was invited to as a measure of his appetite for the business, Kobashi was given the chance to train as a pro.
Recognising his prodigious talent, Baba penned an arc designed to maximise the living sh*t out of his innate sympathy: Kobashi lost all 63 of his first matches, but was allowed to shine in a sort of coded message. Prime Kobashi was an all-timer of a babyface. He didn't so much have fire as wrestle a Budokan classic completely ablaze.
For those 63 matches, fans were drawn, steadily, to the ignition - ensuring that the investment would last a lifetime.