Kenta Kobashi wasn’t destined to be a wrestling star — it was hard enough just to get his foot in the door. But he overcame many obstacles to reach the top in AJPW, and when it came to the ring, few obstacles were greater than Stan Hansen. Today we look at how Kobashi reached the top by going through their many classic bouts from 1990 to 1996.
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GOOD READS:
KinchStalker’s Summary of Hidetoshi Ichinose’s Four Pillars Bio: https://forums.prowrestlingonly.com/topic/54576-2019-four-pillars-bio-thread-index/
Alex Podgarski’s Summary of Kenta Kobashi’s “FIST” and “PILLARS” autobiographies: https://www.blogofdoom.com/2025/02/17/5-star-book-reviews-kenta-kobashis-books-part-i/
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0:00 Intro
1:44 Kenta Kobashi’s Early Years: How he got into AJPW
8:55 1990-1991: Gutsy Inexperience Takes on the Dominant Lariat
17:28 1992-1993: Kobashi Goes Against the Four Foreign Kings
29:57 07/29/1993: Kobashi and Hansen’s Famous Battle at the Budokan
38:28 1994: Can Kobashi Finally Sink the Battleship?
44:50 1996: Tensions Give Way to a Fight for the Triple Crown
32 Comments
What are your memories and favourite matches featuring these two going at it? When did you first come across the brilliance of Kobashi? Have a shout in the comments, and thanks for watching. 🙂
Please make a video about Kawada vs Kobashi's series of matches! Eddie Kingston has only talked about their 98 match, but their other matches were hella great and would love to get your take dive in for those matches.
YES
Lets gooo 💪💪 two of the baddest, thiccest boys around
Amazing vid as always. I love your passion and the amount I learn
That bit about the Four Pillars and Elite Four of Pokemon both being a reference to The Four Heavenly Kings blew my mind. Need some talent artist to draw the Four Pillars as Elite Four Pokemon Trainers now. Pretty sure Kawada could only be a Fighting-type Trainer but not sure about the others.
I loved there matches so so so much. It's what made them part of my top 5
I feel like Kim will request to be buried with Kenta Kobashi matches on VHS 😂
This feud is pure Anime.
As an enormous fan of all these things, it's wild to have Dark Souls and Pokémon being brought up in a Puro video and it all fitting so perfectly haha
Another Awesome video, Kim
Sorry, have to correct you: there were four legends in this video, not three. One was narrating it.
I love the great work you do!
Bruh! Kobashi, Hansen and a Sailor Moon reference?! You da man!
Another banger.
Stan Hansen was a rugged competitor.
For the record, I agree with Kobashi regarding giving your all to every show. But with that said, "giving your all" shouldn't be shattering your body night after night. Work smart, not hard. That way you can work longer.
Para los que le saben y los que le quieren saber
One of the best rivalries I've ever seen. And I always love new Kobashi-based content on your channel. Was actually hoping you'd do a whole video just on how the heck Kobashi's losing streak made him so beloved, given conventional wisdom is losing streaks don't tend to work.
45:55 Ah, I see what you did there
There's no better combination of opponents than the master of kicking ass and the master of taking an ass kicking.
Brett's rope. The most dangerous rope
Great work covering their rivalry. Makes me feel I'm in attendance watching the matches.
the powerbomb at 49:12 legit KO'd Kobashi. the ref and Hansen had to delay the count outside so that they could revive Kobashi. Hansen lays in some stomps and stalls by screaming at the ref . it was a scary moment. the tv had to edit this match to not show how long it took.
This is an incredible video.
Oh man, such a classic rivalry
Loving the rivalry videos but would love career retrospectives if possible
Man I’d love if you covered Liger’s heel run CTU. Or the Osaka/Michinoku split
Whats the best way to watch these old AJPW matches and support them financially?
Great video
I love how "Bret's rope" has found its way from OSW Reviews into regular wrestling vocabulary
20:18 That Back body drop/Elbow combo was SOOOOO clean 👌
Great video, except that the history between Kobashi and Hansen goes way back to Kobashi's childhood. According to Wrestling Colin, Kobashi attended a New Japan show when he was ten-years-old, where he got hit with a bull rope by one Stan Hansen. Also, after losing his PWF and UN belt to Jumbo Tsuruta in 1988, Hansen took out his rage at failing to become the first Triple Crown champion on Jumbo's ring seconds, including delivering a vicious lariat to a unknown young boy at the time by the name of you guessed it, Kenta Kobashi.