Pro Wrestling Chronicle

6.8.90 Kenta Kobashi vs Steve Williams

I believe this was held on the undercard of the first famed Misawa vs Jumbo match. Doc is awesomely intense here to start, going face to face with the young boy. Kobashi is The man yet, not even close, but the fans already love him. Doc was a good foreign heel. I’m not a fan of the fake slap wrestling and middle of the road amateur stuff at first, but Kobashi doing the cement mixer for a pin is pretty fun.

Doc just dumps him on his head once he catches him good. Kobashi gets to outsmart Doc once or twice, but it’s never for the same reason. I like that. Monkey flip once, shame on me. Twice? Kobashi is falling on his head. Kobashi gets his back smashed for following Williams outside, so we get some famed ‘bashi selling. Bear hug into belly-to-belly? That’s pretty cool. Kobashi fights it, stands up, and takes another. He really had the fighting spirit thing down with his strikes. I don’t know that that is something that can be taught. Maybe the timing… maybe.

Kobashi comes back and gets sent down. He’s trying. Figuring things out. The hope spots are a lot of fun because Kobashi’s been in the business about a year and already he knows the moves that pop the crowds. People really get behind him. They even let him hit the moonsault for a near fall. Crowd chants his name. Doc comes back with several stiff shoulder blocks. Glad we didn’t end on that as Kobashi kicks out.

Kobashi actually kicks out of the Oklahoma Stampede, which was big at the time, but can’t kick out of a top rope shoulder block. Doc wins. Neat little match that I recommend to those who like a bully Doc match or want to see Kobashi climbing the ladder early in his famed All Japan run.