[2001-01-18-NOAH] Akira Taue & Kenta Kobashi vs Naomichi Marufuji & Mitsuharu Misawa

[soup23]

I am a little unsure of the pairings as this is match #3 of Wave vs Burning but having Taue be Burning just feels off. This is also the last Kobashi match in 13 months. I am unsure how I will take his 2002-2006 work but he really had a magnificent run from 1989-2001 and was in the top 3 of my WOTY for at least the past three years and in heavy contention in 1993 as well. Even though he had to be in extreme pain here, he still does a ground pleasing delayed suplex on Misawa holding him up for over 15 seconds. As a match, this was good but never really got out of first gear with 3 of the 40 best wrestlers ever in one match. In some ways, this NOAH Korakuen show felt like modern NJPW inside that building in that they do enough that you don’t feel slighted if you attended but it certainly isn’t like attending the big shows in Budokan or Sumo Hall. Finish opens things up more with Marufuji and Taue getting an extended sequence. Marufuji nearly loses him on a kick and Shiranui but Taue reigns it in and then destroys him with a lariat and nodowa for the win. Sad postmatch as Kobashi needs assistance getting down the stairs. I don’t know if Kobashi should be in my top 100 for 2001 but it is likely he will be my #100 just out of respect at year end. ***1/4 (6.3)