Ranking Who Was Really The Man In Wrestling Every Year 1990-2020
17. 2004 - Kenta Kobashi
It really was a phenomenal run.
In 2004, Kobashi continued to draw with seriously impressive box office numbers, working many different opponents in a reign marked by a certain, irresistible fresh quality that, in addition to not overwhelming the public, allowed Kobashi to show off his immense range.
He worked the Gladiator in a slow-moving but ultimately fun, insane and utterly gratuitous bomb fight. He worked protege KENTA in a tremendously-worked match that exploited its fascinating dynamic into a styles clash powered by the junior's profound (and studious) disrespect. The remonstration was brutal and f*cking glorious.
He also rolled back the years to walk the King's Road once more in a Tokyo Dome super-fight opposite Jun Akiyama in which he popularised the now de rigueur demented apron bump, but earned it by selling Akiyama's challenge as the fight of his life.
He had a habit of doing that.