[1999-01-15-AJPW-New Year's Giant Series] Kenta Kobashi vs Vader

[Superstar Sleeze]

Kenta Kobashi vs Vader - AJPW 1/15/99

 

Vader's first major singles match in All Japan and after that double hot performance at the Real World Tag League Final, I had high hopes for this one. Kobashi vs. Monster is one of my all time favorite match types (vs Hansen in mid-90s and Takayama in 00s) and it is a shame we did not get more. This was a bit more sluggish and kind of mechanical than I expected, but it still delivered on the things we expect.

 

At the Real World Tag League, Vader felt like a rabid grizzly bear with Kobashi & Akiyama urgently doing all they could to survive the vicious, relentless onslaught. Here Vader is a monster, but he is more the kind that stalks his prey. I felt like they were very respectful of each other's control segments. I am going to beat you up now and transitions and then you beat me up. There is nothing wrong with this. It is just quite basic.

 

Big Kobashi chants to start as he has a massive bandage over his head. Vader wrestles him to the ground and smothers him. I do like that Vader forces the Pillars to change up their style as the house style was getting stale around this time. Kobashi blocks head shots and beats the mask right off him. Big shoulder tackle and then cross armbreaker attempt, but Vader makes ropes. I like a little bit of shine early. Vader powders and he is making a big show of the ref moving Kobashi back, he takes a wicked cheapshot at the bad right eye/forehead of Kobashi. That was awesome. Dragon sleeper by Vader, he is trying to keep up. Splash only gets two. Kobashi dropkicks the knee and dragon leg screw. This is when I feel like they are matching that same energy before. When it happened in the last match, it felt like the biggest deal ever because Kobashi & Akiyama FINALLY had an opening. Here it just felt like any other match. Vader comes up swinging with a wild right and connects. I loved injured Vader. Vader powerbombs the shit out of him on the floor and then smashes a chair right into his head unprotected. Damn. Instead of the Holy Shit chant, "Ko-Bash-I" chants rings out, I love Japan.

 

Vader misses a charge and Kobashi hits a DDT. Spinning back chop and Vader yelps and falls to the mat. Vader is so great. Kobashi hits a slingshot plancha and is giving Vader no room to breathe. The vertical suplex on Vader gets a pop. Missile dropkick. BODYSLAM! FIST PUMP! Crowd roars...crashes & burns on moonsault. Weirdly he gets up and hits a Russian Legsweep. Rips off bandage and double clothesline knocks both men. Vader takes his bodyslam off the middle rope and now the moonsault connects, but not much of a pop. It did not feel like he earned it. It felt given. The whole match feels like a gift by each man. Not the Gift of Jericho, DRINK IT IN, MAAAAANNNNNN, either. Vader smacks Kobashi in the bad part of the head. VADERSAULT!!!! Gets two! KO-BASH-I Chants...MONSTAH GERMAN SUPLEX...drags the limp carcass for not one, but two Vaderbombs, kick out, Vader splash wins it. That felt very backwards.

 

If you were to lay out a match between Kobashi & Vader listed these moves, it sounds like a classic, but I just did not feel all the little pieces were there. The struggle, the urgency, the emotion were missing. I think Vader has lost a step and Kobashi did not step up his game. He was content with being Kobashi and Vader did his best. Like I said I felt like everything was given by each man to the other. It felt like a respectful war with each man allowing the other to hit stiff shots on the other. Also, the Kobashi false finish run was just really weird. Did not quite get to great but still featured plenty of badass spots and told the basic story of Vader as a world-beater and Kobashi as a resilient underdog. ***3/4

[Zenjo]

I liked the buildup to this as Kobashi got busted open by his adversary in a ringside brawl. So that had established a rivalry and you had two big stars going at it. Because of his powerful moveset Kobashi could go head on with Vader like few others. They battled back and forth in an exciting encounter. It would've been effective if Kenta had bled again. At 17m the length was about right and the stretch well worked. Not an A+ bout, but it delivered. A new gaijin main eventer was just what All Japan needed to spice up the Triple Crown scene.

[Jetlag]

This felt like a match of two halves. Kobashi, with the bloody mouth and bandage was a pretty great visual, and the match was really good when Vader was laying an epic beating on Kobashi. However, I felt Kobashi could have done much better to make Vader look like a monster. His comebacks were fairly easy, and aside from the great opening exchange, I thought he was offensively not as good as Sting. Kobashi just running through his moveset against Vader of all people was kind of poor. So, overall it amounted to a solid match. Afterwards Vader is backstage yelling about why the competition for the Triple Crown is a japanese only club with a sad look in his eye. Vader will not stand for these injustices!