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Kenta Kobashi vs. Akira Hokuto


Boss Rock

Kenta Kobashi vs. Akira Hokuto  

23 members have voted

  1. 1. Kenta Kobashi vs. Akira Hokuto

    • Kenta Kobashi
      15
    • Akira Hokuto
      8


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I have Hokuto #1 and Kobashi not in the top 10, so this is an easy vote for me.

There is a thing people say that Hokuto had a really short prime, but the prime was great. She was freaking awesome from the day she appears on tape until her semi retirement in 94. Even saying that, she produced awesome stuff and even one of the top matches of the 2000s. She has better offense than Kobashi, better selling, better character work, better match structure, better pretty much everything.

Kobashi is great, but Hokuto is the greatest.

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2 hours ago, Boss Rock said:

I had no idea, but that makes sense as they both got their start at around the same time.

Its interesting to think about. Especially in the context of their famous 1993s. You can't watch 1993 Kobashi without seeing a young wrestler on the rise with great things ahead of them. 1993 Hokuto you're seeing 1993 Michael Jordan. The best at the top of their game at the peak of their powers. Someone who couldn't possibly ever be better because they set the bar so high. Yet Kobashi is 4 months older. 

I went with Hokuto here. She was better than Kobashi every year she was a full time performer. It took retirement for Kobashi to really surpass her and by that point Kobashi was long past the point where he was consistently having matches I liked. I like Kobashi more than his direct peers...maybe not Taue....and Kobashi will certainly make my list. But Hokuto takes this one. 

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These are two of the wrestlers I think, at their very best, are the best ever. The thing with Kobashi is I think he managed to be the best ever both in his pyshical prime in the 90s, AND in his "Chopbashi" NOAH run. For example, when I watch the Joe match, I'm not just seeing Kobashi doing fanservice all over the place, but also him being minimalist while looking maximalist, and crafting one of the best matches ever out of chops and fanservice. I'm not saying he was the best ever throughout all the 90s and 00s (an argument about that can definitely be made, though), just that he managed to have some of his best nights ever both in the 90s and in the Chopbashi era. A lot of nights, actually. That's insane to me.

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As of this moment I have Kobashi #2 and Hokuto at #13 (which feels too low - I don't feel good about her not being in the top 10).  If I had to guess Kobashi could land somewhere between 1-5 and Hokuto could land somewhere between 3-15, so there is a chance I change my tune on this, but right now it is Kobashi for me.

 

Hokuto is unreal talent in really every sense. Her offense and selling are great. She is a masterful storyteller. She can help elevate those around her.  She has high highs and good matches over a very respectable time period.  I think the thing for me is Kobashi is a wrestling force of nature unlike any other. His top match output is INSANE. To me, he embodies pro wrestling boiled down to its purest form. He does almost everything well, but somehow he is still better than the sum of his parts.

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18 hours ago, Loss said:

I think Akira Hokuto is better on her very best day than Kenta Kobashi on his very best day, but Kobashi came closer to his best day so many more times than Hokuto did.

I couldn't explain my thoughts on this matchup any better than this. Hokuto with 5 more years is top 10, likely top 5 all time and could see myself her beating out Kobashi. But as is I can't take her in-ring career over Kobashi's. His run and matches are just incredible. 

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33 minutes ago, DylanZero said:

I couldn't explain my thoughts on this matchup any better than this. Hokuto with 5 more years is top 10, likely top 5 all time and could see myself her beating out Kobashi. But as is I can't take her in-ring career over Kobashi's. His run and matches are just incredible. 

What is the range of Andre being great, because Hokuto's is like 87-95, then great matches speckled in until 2001.

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Just now, Grimmas said:

What is the range of Andre being great, because Hokuto's is like 87-95, then great matches speckled in until 2001.

Andre won't be on my list or even come close, I don't know what that has to do with anything.

 

Hokuto's an incredible performer, at her peak the best women's wrestler of all time. But not over Kobashi, who was BITWC caliber for twice as long. I would say peak Hokuto is 90-95 and she was up there, perhaps even at the tip top during some of those. She was for me. But after and before while she was still a great performer, but would not have been a Most Outsanding candidate overall due to output. Kobashi was at that level until 2000 and then again in 2003, also with great matches in other years. It's just a numbers game at this point that provides the difference for Kobashi more than a difference in talent as both are deserving all time greats.

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43 minutes ago, DylanZero said:

Andre won't be on my list or even come close, I don't know what that has to do with anything.

 

Hokuto's an incredible performer, at her peak the best women's wrestler of all time. But not over Kobashi, who was BITWC caliber for twice as long. I would say peak Hokuto is 90-95 and she was up there, perhaps even at the tip top during some of those. She was for me. But after and before while she was still a great performer, but would not have been a Most Outsanding candidate overall due to output. Kobashi was at that level until 2000 and then again in 2003, also with great matches in other years. It's just a numbers game at this point that provides the difference for Kobashi more than a difference in talent as both are deserving all time greats.

I meant Kobashi... sorry was watching Andre and my mind slipped!!!

So Kobashi had 7 years (93-2000), Hokuto had 7 years (88-95) and they both had great stuff after that. It's not that far apart. 90 being when Hokuto gets great I disagree with, she was atleast great by 88 and I would argue earlier.

Sorry my least favourite narrative is that Hokuto had a tiny prime.

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I was just gonna go say that Kobashi's big NOAH run in 2003-05 is what puts him over the top here (and above those other three pillars). He'd have a Top 100 case for me even if he was just average in the 90s and then did that.

Hokuto was a great wrestler for a lot longer than she generally gets credit for, I'm glad we seem to be moving beyond the "Hokuto's case was mainly made in 1993-94" talk and encourage people to check out her best stuff before and after. But she still wasn't a top tier wrestler for as many years as Kobashi.

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The main instance of Kobashi crying that people complain about seems to be from the 1997 Carny match against Akiyama. Maybe I've become inured to that sort of thing due to the past decade of WWE Shocked Face, but it didn't bother me. More importantly, I don't see how it can be interpreted as Kobashi still working as the underdog. On the contrary, he was expressing frustration over being unable to put his lower-ranked opponent away. At that stage of his career, he was on his way to being The Man but not quite there yet, and it was natural for his insecurity to boil over on occasion. It's like, how is he supposed to knock off Misawa and Kawada if he's having this much trouble with Akiyama? Criticizing Kobashi for failing to evolve his character as he moved up the card may have been viable in the late 90s, but his run as GHC champion rendered those criticisms obsolete.

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