85 Facts About Kenta Kobashi

Kenta Kobashi is a Japanese professional wrestling promoter and retired wrestler.

Kenta Kobashi is best known for his two runs in All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Noah, of which he captured AJPW's Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship thrice, and NOAH's GHC Heavyweight Championship once.

Kenta Kobashi is the winner of numerous Match of the Year and Wrestler of the Year awards, including from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and Tokyo Sports.

Kenta Kobashi became renowned for his matches and rivalries with gaijin wrestlers and fellow Japanese wrestlers alike.

Kenta Kobashi became a widely successful tag wrestler, teaming with Misawa, the AJPW ace, as part of the Super Generation Army, and becoming a noted combatant in some of the most highly acclaimed tag team wrestling matches of the 1990s.

Kenta Kobashi became successful as a singles wrestling star later on, usually by his determination and performance in highly acclaimed matches, usually for the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship or in the Champion Carnival tournament.

Kenta Kobashi was part of the dissenting crew who would take part in the second exodus of All Japan Pro Wrestling in 2000, which led to the creation of the Pro Wrestling Noah promotion, and would later continue to work as a wrestler for the promotion for thirteen years.

Kenta Kobashi notably concluded the inter-promotional rivalry with Misawa in Noah, winning the GHC Heavyweight Championship from him on March 1,2003.

Kenta Kobashi went on to have the longest singular reign for the championship of all time, holding it for 735 days, losing it to Takeshi Rikio on March 5,2005.

Kenta Kobashi spent many of the later years of his career sidelined due to various injuries.

Kenta Kobashi underwent numerous surgeries on his arms and legs in the early-mid 2000s before retiring from in-ring action in May 2013.

Kenta Kobashi continues to make sporadic appearances in Noah, as well as DDT Pro-Wrestling, whilst promoting his own shows under the Fortune Dream banner.

Kenta Kobashi was born in Fukuchiyama in Kyoto Prefecture on March 27,1967.

Kenta Kobashi was raised predominantly in a single-parent household with him, his three-years-older brother Eiji, and his mother Miyako, after his parents had separated and later divorced.

Kenta Kobashi competed in baseball in his youth, and was part of the Atsumi Fighters team.

Kenta Kobashi joined a junior Judo club in a junior high school, and he, in his senior year, placed third in the qualifying round at nationals, having been outweighed by his opponent in the semifinals by 50 kg.

Kenta Kobashi had practice in rugby union, but did not have any placements in competitions with the sport.

Kenta Kobashi attended a New Japan Pro Wrestling show at this time, of which he was, according to Kobashi himself, hit with Stan Hansen's bullrope.

Kenta Kobashi was trained there by Baba, as well as Funk brother Dory Funk Jr.

Kenta Kobashi officially debuted as a professional wrestler in Ritto, Shiga on February 26,1988, against veteran wrestler Motoshi Okuma, donning blue-based, white-stripped trunks and Masanobu Fuchi's old boots.

Kenta Kobashi was booked by Baba to lose his first 63 matches.

Kenta Kobashi had his first championship match in February 1989, teaming with Giant Baba to lose to the incumbent champions Toshiaki Kawada and Samson Fuyuki.

Kenta Kobashi won his first singles match on May 16,1989, against Jim Crockett Promotions jobber Mitch Snow, and on June 6, he picked up a win over established Stampede Wrestling rising star Johnny Smith.

Kenta Kobashi would be confirmed as one of the five wrestlers assigned to the newly formed Super Generation Army, and would have his official first match as part of the new stable on August 10,1990, defeating Joel Deaton and Johnny Ace in a tag match alongside Kawada.

Hansen and Kenta Kobashi had begun to have their first matches together in the late 1980s, with Kenta Kobashi being beaten every time by Hansen and his tag team partners, predominantly Genichiro Tenryu.

Likewise, Kenta Kobashi became Misawa's main tag partner in the middle of the year when Kawada became Misawa's main rival.

On December 3,1993, Kenta Kobashi gained his first pinfall over Kawada, won his first World's Strongest Tag Determination League, and won his first World Tag Team Championship with Misawa.

Hansen and Kenta Kobashi met again numerous time in 1994, most notably on April 10, during the year's Champion Carnival tournament.

However, Kenta Kobashi would earn another singles match against Williams, this time for the latter's Triple Crown Heavyweight title.

Kenta Kobashi was taken to an ambulance after it was called by Motoko Baba, and later, a hospital near the venue, where he had to be cared for with 22 stitches near his bicep.

Kenta Kobashi had been selected as the elder tag partner to rookie Hawaiian wrestler Maunakea Mossman.

On July 24,1996, Kenta Kobashi earned yet another chance at the Triple Crown, this time against the unexpected incumbent Akira Taue.

Kenta Kobashi defeated Taue in their Tokyo bout, won his first Triple Crown Heavyweight title, and had, for the first time ever, defeated a fellow pillar in a singles match.

Mainly, instead of it being of a similar nature, where Hansen would run toward the opponent before hitting them with the Lariat, Kenta Kobashi would hold the opponent and wind up his arms before hitting the move.

The main reason for this change was due to Kenta Kobashi's ailing knees, which had been succumbed to injury both during the execution of his main finisher, the moonsault, and for other reasons.

Kenta Kobashi had been considerably popular with the fans for his underdog tactics and his dexterity, but after he had captured the title, he reached new popular heights.

On June 12,1998, Kenta Kobashi defeated Kawada to begin his second Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship reign.

The next week, Kenta Kobashi lost the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship again to Misawa, after having defended the title previously against Taue and Akiyama.

In January 1999, Kenta Kobashi was kicking off new rivalries against former NJPW and WWF star Vader, Misawa's new tag team with Yoshinari Ogawa, and the Holy Demon Army and No Fear units.

Misawa and Kenta Kobashi booked themselves to have yet another Triple Crown Heavyweight title match, this time on June 11,1999.

Misawa came out on top against Kenta Kobashi, hitting the latter with his newly established finishing maneuver, the Emerald Flowsion.

Kenta Kobashi won the Tag League again with Akiyama in December 1999.

Pressure had mounted to Kenta Kobashi to perform at his best despite the injuries.

Kenta Kobashi then lost to Akiyama on the second show the next day, with Kobashi passing out while being captured in Akiyama's King Crab Lock submission.

At the biggest Noah show of the year on December 23,2000, Kenta Kobashi defeated Akiyama, avenging his loss earlier that year.

Kenta Kobashi's left ACL gave out on him during the match.

Misawa, Akiyama, Yoshinari Ogawa and Yoshihiro Takayama had all staked claim to the title whilst Kenta Kobashi was inactive, with Misawa holding the belt for a second time.

Kenta Kobashi had numerous tag team matches with Misawa during the later period of 2002 and the earliest period of 2003, including a highly publicized tag team match on January 10,2003.

The scheduling for the match would be at the Tokyo Dome-held NJPW Ultimate Crush event, the first time ever that Kenta Kobashi stepped into a NJPW ring, and the first time since the 1990 Wrestling Summit that he had stepped into any ring affiliated with NJPW.

Kenta Kobashi defeated Chono after nearly half-an-hour, during which he had, at one point in the match, beaten Chono so bad that cornerman Hiroyoshi Tenzan threatened to throw in the towel.

Honda and Kenta Kobashi defeated the pair to win the belts, making it Kenta Kobashi's eighth overall tag team championship in his career.

Kenta Kobashi defeated Bison Smith to retain the Heavyweight title the next month in Nagoya, and later set up an inter-promotional feud with invader heel Yuji Nagata.

Kenta Kobashi defeated Saito, but not before being given respect from the champion in the process of the loss.

Kenta Kobashi was listed as the Best Box Office Draw by the latter newsletter for the year of 2004.

At the aforementioned event in the Nippon Budokan, Kenta Kobashi defeated Suzuki, making it Kenta Kobashi's thirteenth overall successful defense of the title, extending his record.

On March 1,2005, Kenta Kobashi officially hit two years as champion; four days later, on March 5, he faced Rikio in a rematch for the title.

In late 2005, Kenta Kobashi made his first appearance in North America with Harley Race's World League Wrestling promotion, defeating then WLW champion Wild Wade Chism and being awarded with Race's NWA World's Heavyweight Championship belt.

The subsequent celebration was marred with Race proclaiming that Kenta Kobashi was "Mr Pro Wrestling".

Kenta Kobashi traveled to Europe, where he had matches in Germany, and at Universal Uproar in England, on November 12,2005.

Kenta Kobashi made his debut in Kensuke Office on February 11,2006, teaming with Sasaki to defeat Nakajima and Genichiro Tenryu as part of Sasaki's 20th Anniversary show.

Kenta Kobashi had been proclaimed to have a tumor on his kidney, and a biopsy confirmed it to be cancerous.

On September 8,2007, news broke that Kenta Kobashi would make his return on the December 2,2007, Budokan Hall event where he would team up with Takayama to face Akiyama and Misawa.

Kenta Kobashi teamed with Pro Wrestling Noah younger talents KENTA, Atsushi Aoki and Akihiko Ito, losing to Nakajima, Sasaki, Kento Miyahara and Takashi Okita.

In September 2008, Kenta Kobashi underwent emergency surgery on both of his arms.

The surgery was successful, and Kenta Kobashi was expected to make a full recovery.

Kenta Kobashi was expected to be out of action for up to a year, but he would return to the ring less than six months later.

Kenta Kobashi made his return to wrestling on March 1,2009, at Nippon Budokan with Pro Wrestling Noah, defeated Masao Inoue in the opening match of the card with his signature lariat.

Kenta Kobashi teamed with Akihiko Ito and fellow AJPW alumnus Tsuyoshi Kikuchi in a losing effort to then-current AJPW stars and representatives Satoshi Kojima, KAI and Hiroshi Yamato at Pro Wrestling Love in Ryogoku, Volume 8.

On December 23,2009, Kenta Kobashi was seriously injured in a three-way match against Honda and Kikuchi.

Kenta Kobashi was sidelined for 19 months with nerve damage in his right arm, mainly from the usage of his knife-edged chops.

Kenta Kobashi declined the advice, and continued using the move until he retired.

Kenta Kobashi made his return on July 23,2011, teaming with Go Shiozaki in a tag team match, where they were defeated by Akitoshi Saito and Jun Akiyama.

On December 9, Kenta Kobashi attended Noah's Ryogoku Kokugikan event and, during an in-ring interview, he revealed that he was planned to retire in a Noah ring in 2013.

Noah and Kenta Kobashi seemingly came to an agreement to let him retire as opposed to forcing him to leave the promotion.

On January 23,2013, Kenta Kobashi announced that his retirement match would take place on at Nippon Budokan.

On March 17,2013, Kenta Kobashi made an appearance for All Japan Pro Wrestling to promote his retirement match.

On February 14,2014, Kenta Kobashi announced that starting June 8, he would begin producing his own independent events under the brand "Fortune Dream".

On May 10,2015, Kenta Kobashi returned to Noah to serve as a "special witness" for a GHC Heavyweight Championship match between champion Minoru Suzuki and challenger Naomichi Marufuji.

Kenta Kobashi's role included making sure that the Suzuki-gun stable did not interfere in the match.

Kenta Kobashi assumed the role of a ticket checker on the Shinkansen train.

Kenta Kobashi is known to have not gone any time in his career being a heel.

Kenta Kobashi was known in the locker room to be friendly and unreserved for conversations with his fellow peers.

Kenta Kobashi married his girlfriend of 14 years, singer Mizuki, on October 2,2010.

Kenta Kobashi has the fifth-most 5-star matches with 23.

Kenta Kobashi has stated that he was "happy" knowing that Gunther, known as Walter, was influenced by him.