10 Wrestling Matches That Broke All The Rules

6. Steve Williams Vs. Kenta Kobashi - All Japan Pro Wrestling August 31, 1993

Mankind Undertaker Hell In A Cell
AJPW

Pro wrestling was a work, in which each performer feigned damage to obscure the (relative) safety and cooperation behind the performance. Pro wrestling hurt - a generation of talent didn't die because there was no pain to mask, no pain to work through - but the objective was always to hit hard in the safe spots to achieve the dual objective.

If that past tense is indeed accurate, Kenta Kobashi had much to do with changing the complexion of the business by allowing himself to be struck hard in the most precarious of places: the neck.

His legendary match with Steve Williams escalated the already very stiff King's Road style. At the apex of a classic, built expertly by Kobashi's gradual underdog storytelling ability, Williams drop him directly onto his head with a high-angled back suplex. It was a death blow he survived.

This defiance of surrender, in the face of such gruesome punishment, was consistent with Kobashi's character, at least. He was the embodiment of spirit, and since that spirit could never be broken, Williams, at that point the bigger star, had to break his body to preserve the dynamic and tier. The battling nature of the loss gently beckoned Kobashi to the main event orbit, but recklessly intensified a style from which there was no return.

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!