Kenta Kobashi

Kenta Kobashi (小橋 健太) (born, March 27, 1967) is a Japanese professional wrestling promoter and retired professional wrestler.

He applied and was accepted to All Japan Pro Wrestling's (AJPW) dojo on June 20, 1987.

He was trained there by Dory Funk Jr.., Giant Baba, Kazuharu Sonoda and Masanobu Fuchi.

He started his career in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in 1988, where he became one of the promotion's top stars, holding the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship three times, and winning the Champion Carnival in 2000.

Kobashi debuted as a professional wrestler in Ryūō, Shiga on February 26, 1988.

He was booked by Shohei "Giant" Baba to lose his first 63 matches (all singles bouts).

It was all part of Baba's master plan: even in defeat, the fiery, charismatic Kobashi shined and his gutsy, never-say-die efforts earned him the Rookie of the Year award from the Japanese press.

Kobashi won his first match in May 1989 (against Jim Crockett Promotions jobber Mitch Snow).

During 1989, when The Road Warriors were in AJPW, they taught Kobashi the "Road Warrior Workout".

He first gained some prominence as member of Mitsuharu Misawa's faction during Misawa's feud with Jumbo Tsuruta.

Kobashi during this period played dual roles according to who his partners and opponents were.

When teamed with the higher ranking Misawa or Toshiaki Kawada, Kobashi would play the gutsy underdog.

At the same time, when teamed with the much smaller Tsuyoshi Kikuchi, he would play a "big brother" role, coming in to try to save the day after Kikuchi had been worked on for a while by the opponents.

Eleven months later he won his first title, the All Asia Tag Team Championship with Tiger Mask II (Misawa); however, shortly after removing the mask, Kobashi and Misawa would vacate the title.

Over the next two years, Kobashi held the All Asia belts with Johnny Ace twice and with Kikuchi once.

The title win with Kikuchi over Dan Kroffat and Doug Furnas took place before a rabid crowd in Kikuchi's hometown of Sendai on May 25, 1992; the match quickly gained legendary status among tape-traders, and was voted 1992's Match of the Year by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

In 1993, he became Misawa's main tag partner in the middle of the year when Kawada became Misawa's main rival.

He gained his first singles victory over a former Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, when he defeated Terry Gordy in May of that year.

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

Kobashi received his first shot at the Triple Crown Championship against then-champion Steve Williams on September 3, 1994, but lost at Nippon Budokan, Tokyo.

Kobashi's singles matches around this time with Kawada, Misawa and Stan Hansen are amongst his most highly regarded.

In tag competition he had strong efforts with opponents as diverse as rookie Jun Akiyama to elderly legend and promotion owner Giant Baba.

Over the next few years Kobashi continued to gain more honors, but his position in the company did not truly change.

In the 1994 Champion Carnival he gained his first singles victory over Hansen.

His next title challenge was against Kawada in January 1995.

This led to a 60-minute time limit draw, and is regarded as the greatest 60 minute bout in wrestling history by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

On June 9, 1995, Kobashi and Misawa lost the tag title to Akira Taue and Toshiaki Kawada.

The match is also notable because it won the best match of the year award from Tokyo Sports.

He suffered the first of many knee injuries in mid 1995, but worked through it.

In the early part of 1996 the company elevated Jun Akiyama by making him Misawa's main tag partner.

While this was good for Akiyama and lead to some fresh tag matches, it left Kobashi without a real tag partner for most of the year, mostly having partnerships between The Patriot, Johnny Ace, where the trio was called G.E.T ("Global, Energetic & Tough") and rookie Hawaiian wrestler, Maunakea Mossman.

Kobashi defeated Akira Taue on July 24, 1996, to capture his first Triple Crown.

Kobashi left All Japan in June 2000, taking part in a mass exodus led by Mitsuharu Misawa, which led to the formation of Pro Wrestling Noah.

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

Kobashi continues to make sporadic appearances in both Noah and All Japan, while also promoting his own shows under the Fortune Dream banner.

Kobashi practiced judo and rugby union during high school in Fukuchiyama.

He practised body building after his graduation while working "regular" jobs.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Kobashi worked for Noah for thirteen years, and had the longest singular GHC Heavyweight Championship reign of all time, holding the championship for 735 days between 2003 and 2005.

Overall, Kobashi was a four-time world champion and an eight-time tag team champion.

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