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[1993-04-16-AJPW-Championship Carnival] Stan Hansen vs Kenta Kobashi


Loss

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  • 1 month later...

Excellent match! Hansen looks so awesome working against the younger guys, as they really brought something special out of him. Believe it or not, Hansen is the underdog for much of this match, with Kobashi destroying his arm and it looking like he'd have the match, but Hansen managed to mount a strong comeback and get the win. It's this kind of match layout with the veteran going over that I think benefits both guys. Kobashi may have gotten more out of losing than he would had he won because Hansen had to do so much to put him away. Nice match, and I'm glad it was shot from the audience to ensure it lives on.

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  • 1 year later...

From a fancam but make no mistake they were going full out over it's generous 25m duration. It was surprising Kobashi having the majority of the offense. He worked on the arm early before moving onto body attacks. It wasn't until 15m that Stan began fighting back. High quality stuff from both men and they possesed a great deal of chemistry together. The finish was outstanding with the lariato countering an attempted diving shoulderblock. I just loved how Hansen didn't move backwards at all because his forwards momentum was so strong. There was only going to be one winner in this collision. Kenta was at such an exciting stage of his career as the youngster levelling up, but not quite yet defeating the main event crew.

 

A part of me doesn't like when matches this strong show up on fancams. It makes me think about all the potentially outstanding matches over the years that didn't make TV. You're not usually missing anything as it's very rare they're going full out like this on a house show.

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  • 8 months later...

This is definitely one of my favorite matches of the year so far. I'm not a fan cam person so I really need to stress to others who feel the same to give this one a chance. A guy like Hansen is so missing as a top level guy in later AJPW when you don't have him or Jumbo as the veteran guys to give the lower guys those matches were they give a lot to their opponents. Kobashi totally takes it to Hansen through out this match. I actually think this is a good set up to the 94 Carnival match. Great finish here.

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  • 1 month later...

Primo performance from Hansen making Kobashi look like a million bucks. By the end, Hansen is actually working hope spots and making desperation moves just to keep pace with Kobashi, before catching him with the Lariato as Kobashi makes a dive off the second turnbuckle. A terrific find--it's just too bad no one apparently got a tape of Hansen putting over Kawada in the same tournament.

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  • 1 year later...

From the opening this isn't Hansen running through the rising youngster, as Kobashi hangs with him through strikes and focuses on the lariat arm. He really keys in on it with an armbar, jerking oit over his shoulder and kicks that highlight his strategy. Hansen really gives him a ton here, selling most of the way and putting over the effectiveness of Kobashi's offense on this level. He then resorts to a shoulderblock on the floor and chair shot to take control. Kobashi fights back with a sleeper and multiple legdrops but he can't connect on the moonsault. You'd think that spells the beginning of the end but Kobashi gets to block a powerbomb attempt before the awesome Lariat finish. Really terrific match that sets up what's to come on 7/29 as well as the match in the '94 Carnival, which I just happened to watch on that set.

 

****

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  • 2 months later...

I love this feud so much. Here KObashi really tears Hansen's arm apart for the first ten minutes adding credibility to himself and creating an interesting narrative to differentiate their matches. LImb work is really missing in modern day at this writing New Japan. The second half of the match with Hansen hitting hope spots and trying to hang on was a ton of fun and that finish is holy shit great and clever. This match is awesome and probably wont make my top 20 for the year which shows how loaded a year this year is overall. ****1/4

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  • 1 year later...

This match has made Kobashi a star in my eyes.

 

Anyone who can do to Hansen what he did for the first half, take a brutal pounding, and still come back to have him on the run until the very last second is a star in my book. He works on Stan's arm the way Stan himself worked on Misawa's during their May Triple Crown match, only he keeps it up longer than Stan did there. Stan does a wonderful selling job as well, making sure to use the other arm for the rest of the bout until it was time to hit what was probably the most spectacular lariat I've ever seen from him. Kenta never even felt it coming, and his selling job after the final pin makes it look like he's just been squashed in two minutes by an unstoppable monster. Stan also deserves credit for looking as good as he did on offense while still selling the arm injury. The selling from both guys alone makes this a must-watch.

 

I'm glad to hear there's more coming from these two on the horizon, and I'm eagerly looking forward to their next clash.

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  • 4 months later...

http://placetobenation.com/countdown-top-500-matches-of-the-90s-400-351/2/

 

#358

 

This was just phenomenal. I loved every minute of it. It was wild seeing Hansen DOMINATED by Kobashi for such lengthy portion of this match. As stated, this is must see. The crowd is absolutely on fire the entire match, and really behind Kobashi. This is likely his best match up to this date. Hansen really sold his ass off for him.

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  • GSR changed the title to [1993-04-16-AJPW-Championship Carnival] Stan Hansen vs Kenta Kobashi
  • 1 year later...

I think all y'all are super underrating this match. Definitely a contender for Top 25 All Japan Matches of 90s. It seems like the boys over at Greatest Match Ever, know whats up. Just want to give them a shout out. 

Kenta Kobashi vs Stan Hansen - All Japan 4/16/93

Greatest rivalry of all time for my money. These two just have insane chemistry with each other. Kobashi has that "live by the sword, die by the sword" mentality. It is almost like he made a promise to himself "I am going to leave it all in the ring and throw everything I have at this Grizzly Bear". They do such a great job setting this tone right from jump. There is this wild brawl that breaks out and Kobashi just dropkicks him. Kobashi ends up outside the ring and he rushes back in and dropkicks him again. Kobashi would NOT BE DENIED! I really feel that is the story of this match. It is Kobashi's tenacity. He was absolutely relentless in his drive to move forward. Hansen tried everything. You named it Hansen tried it. Sleeper/facelocks, throwing wild strikes like bearpaws,elbows & kicks, he tried diving tackles, and he tried powdering, but for 15 straight minutes Kobashi kicked his ass. This was a fucking mugging. Only two things kept this competitive: Hansen's aura (the fact he is damn near unbeatable and that Kobashi has not defeated him yet) and Hansen's constant struggling. I loved during one pinfall attempt Hansen was writhing in pain so Kobashi actually had to wrangle a wriggling Hansen into a cover. (And yes I am proud of myself for getting three "wr" words in the same sentence :p)

While Hansen was giving a stellar underneath performance and really making Kobashi EARN that offense, Kobashi was putting on a fucking offensive clinic. Early in the match while they were tussling in the corner, Kobashi snapped Hansen's arm across the top turnbuckle. Kobashi became laser-focused. I mean this was unlike any Kobashi I have ever seen. He zeroed in on that arm like he was an Anderson. Nothing was going to stop him. All those Hansen tricks I mentioned in the first paragraph, Kobashi mowed through them and then got right back on that arm. Dropkicks to the arm, strikes to the arm, holds, he was crushing it. He went for a cross armbreaker three times. Each time, Hansen got more and more desperate at making a comeback. The third and final time saw Kobashi kick his ass on the outside. Then a funny thing happened. It all went horribly awry. 

There was one weakness is Kobashi's full court press strategy. It left him vulnerable to mistakes. When you constantly pouring on offense, it cane be reversed or countered. Up until the 15 minute mark, Kobashi was wrestling not only a clean match, but a low-risk match. He had wrist control for the majority and his offense was being executed in close quarters. However, he took an unnecessary risk when he dove off the apron trying to shouldertackle Hansen, Hansen evaded and drove Kobashi to the cement floor. Then Hansen BOWLED Kobashi and cemented his advantage with a brutal chair attack. I fucking love this match! Now it is Hansen's turn to kick some ass. He just pummels him. Everything is to Kobashi's head. It is all LOW-risk offense: boots, exposed knee, elbows. Kobashi gets a quick hope spot, Hansen immediately quashes that. Grabs him by the hair and POPS him with an elbow. I love it. Kobashi gets a flurry going and hitting a dropkick. I have never seen Kobashi hit so many dropkicks, he started the match with a dropkick. It is explosive and generates enough momentum to set up more offense. 

I loved the next sequence. Kobashi wants to sap the Big Man of energy goes for a sleeper. Hansen sells desperation and grabs the hair and rips Kobashi over. Hansen starts throwing desperate swings. He looks like he is rearing up for a Lariat when Kobashi wrangles him into a sleeper! He really cinches it in this time. Way to make him earn it! Great series of nearfalls follows: off the sleeper, then off a furious onslaught of legdrops and then a DDT. 

Bodyslam->Fist pump->MISSED Moonsault! Again, this has been Kobashi match to lose. He was wrestling again very clean. "Live by the sword, die by the sword". Hansen bowls him over with his charging body weight and then busts out his own dropkick. Kobashi will not be denied and hits a Lariat for 2. Crowd is going bonkers. Kobashi comes charging in and Hansen uses his momentum against him to drive him into the top turnbuckle and then scoop him up into a VICIOUS Back Drop Driver! This is the second time Hansen has used Kobashi's overzealousness against him. He only gets two. Wants the powerbomb, Kobashi sits down on him! Kobashi looks to come off the middle rope. LARIAOTOOOOOOOO! HOLY SHIT! 1-2-3!

The best part is that Lariat fits the psychology narrative perfectly. This was the third time Hansen used Kobashi overzealous offense against him. Kobashi dominated this match by full court press, suffocation offense. He was all over Hansen, but in doing so would often come in charging with reckless abandon. Three times Hansen used that against him. On third time, it spelled the end of Kobashi. Did Kobashi come closer than ever to beating Hansen? Yes. It proved it was going to take a combination of all-out offense and intelligence to beat one of the fiercest wrestler ever! Awesome, awesome match! *****

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