Tag: kenta kobashi

Daily Update: Trick Williams, Kenta Kobashi, Liv Morgan

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered:

  • Ted Turner’s legacy in sports
  • The history of pro wrestling on the Turner Networks
  • The skyrocketing success and rapid decline of WCW
  • The television heyday of Georgia Championship Wrestling
  • How Ted Turner first got involved in pro wrestling
  • Why Vince McMahon hated Ted Turner and how irrational it was at times
  • The local TV business in the early 70s
  • The 1972-74 Atlanta wrestling war, how it started and ended
  • The start of Gordon Solie and Tony Schiavone on TBS
  • The growth of TBS
  • The launching of CNN
  • How Vince McMahon got on TBS
  • Why McMahon and Turner had issues during their year working together
  • The role Jim Barnett played
  • The death of Mid South Wrestling
  • The death of Jim Crockett Promotions
  • The death of WCW
  • How Barnett manipulated the Crocketts getting on TBS
  • Vince McMahon’s cable power plays and Turner’s reactions
  • The signing of Hulk Hogan and rise of Eric Bischoff
  • Hall, Nash and Bret Hart come to WCW
  • How Bischoff nearly purchased WCW and how it fell through
  • A reprint of a 2001 article on the closing of WCW that Ted Turner himself read and praised
  • Reaction to the death of WCW
  • Numerous people react to the death
  • The tribute on AEW television
  • His exploits in other sports
  • Rupert Murdoch, Ric Flair, Jane Fonda, Tony Khan and others in sports comment on Turner’s death
  • Turner’s life after he lost control of the networks
  • His charitable work
  • Update on Tanea “Rebel” Brooks
  • A first look at how UFC is performing and its revenue driven vs. expense for Paramount
  • WWE cuts continue and are looked at
  • A crazy note about the income of just four of TKO’s top executives and how it compares to the pay for UFC and WWE athletes. This is absolutely shocking
  • Nick Khan’s new contract with TKO
  • Why so many cuts were made this year and more notes on the pay cuts
  • New Day bid farewell
  • WWE & UFC first quarter financials looked at
  • More talk regarding Middle East shows, Zuffa Boxing, and complaints regarding WWE and UFC
  • Backlash preview, business notes and odds
  • Notes on AEW Double or Nothing
  • New Japan Dontaku coverage
  • Nico Ali Walsh on Nick Khan’s testimony before Congress
  • NOAH big show notes
  • The most detailed look at the TV ratings from the pro wrestling and MMA shows this past week
  • Fantastica Mania Mexico
  • CMLL vs. MLW at Arena Mexico notes
  • Grande Americano vs. Grande Americano
  • Lots of injury updates
  • Who in AEW was set for a major push that is now on hold
  • Champion Carnival down to final four
  • Cuatrero convicted in domestic violence case involving Stephanie Vaquer
  • Raja Jackson case coming to a close
  • Former WWE wrestler murder case makes pub again
  • Worldwide YouTuber numbers
  • Dana White talks McGregor’s return
  • Notes on Roman Reigns and his schedule
  • When did Nick Khan learn Vince McMahon was being investigate for sex trafficking
  • Janel Grant gets more public
  • Notes from WWE’s television contracts

This Week’s Back Issue

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Tuesday Update

Liv Morgan WWE
Liv Morgan WWE (Image credit: WWE)

 WWE

  • Nattie paid tribute to Asuka on social media after it appeared she was taking time off following Monday’s Raw: “So grateful I got to hug you when you came back after your match at Backlash, Asuka. You mean so much to all of us, both in the ring and backstage. Nothing but love, admiration, and respect for you always @WWEAsuka. You are everything that is great about wrestling.”
  • Randy Orton responded on social media after someone spent $42,100 at an auction for a one-of-a-kind WrestleMania 41 card: “Whoever bought this card should be entitled to the throwback gear I wore at WM41.”
  • Liv Morgan traded words with Nikki Bella on social media: “I can’t believe ur tweeting me from home with ur broken a** ankle but since you want my attention…. Ur sister and Beige should be embarrassed. Next week @RaquelWWE & @roxanne_wwe are gonna be our NEW WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions & as for you ? You can just keep on watching me. Happy Mother’s Day btw, much love to all the single mothers out there.”
  • John Cena is in a new commercial for Chime.
  • Trick Williams received a resolution from the South Carolina House of Representatives while on News 19 WLTX.
  • WWE Vault additions include a show held in Kuwait from May 12, 1996, Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage vs. Jake Roberts & Berzerker from a January 1992 dark match, John Cena vs. Big Show from Judgement Day 2009, and John Cena vs. Ryback in a Last Man Standing match from Extreme Rules 2013.

AEW & Other Wrestling

  • Justin Barrasso interviewed new AEW National Champion Mark Davis, who reflected on his time in AEW: “I’m whole again,” he remarked. “I have the space, time, and support for all of that to happen in AEW, and I’m blessed to work here. It’s changed my life.”
  • When Sean Ross Sapp asked on social media where AEW should run an event next, MJF replied “MSG.”
  • Callum Newman is returning to RevPro to take on Leon Cage on May 17.
  • NJPW interviewed Robbie X ahead of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament.
  • TNA’s Champions Challenge returns on May 15 in Sacramento.
  • The next Hardy Party is scheduled for May 13, also in Sacramento.
  • Kenta Kobashi recently celebrated the 13th anniversary of his retirement: “About 14 years ago, I decided to retire with the words, “I can no longer do Kenta Kobashi-style pro wrestling.” I have no regrets about my decision!! On December 25, 2012, I founded Fortune KK. I started it together with my wife, hand in hand. I myself felt anxious about the future after retirement. I think my wife felt even more anxious than I did. I am truly grateful to Mayuko. And thanks to the passionate support from Kenta Kobashi fans across the nation, I was able to welcome this 13th retirement anniversary with a smile. Thank you!!”

December 10, 2007 Observer Newsletter: Kenta Kobashi returns to wrestling, TNA Turning Point recap

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Image: Pro Wrestling NOAH

For about a half hour this past weekend, Japanese pro wrestling was back like the old days, with a dream main event of superstars, and a hot, turnaway crowd.

However, the circumstances that led to the reprieve of a declining industry will hopefully never be duplicated. It would be great if it’s a sign that, maybe not that the glory days will ever be back, but perhaps at least a turnaround is coming.

But it could just be one of the final isolated moments.

Kenta Kobashi, one of the greatest in-ring performers in the history of the business made his long-awaited return on 12/2 at Tokyo Budokan Hall before the largest wrestling crowd in the history of the arena. Knocked out of the ring 18 months ago due to cancer which required the removal of one of his kidneys (that fact has been largely unpublicized), NOAH announced the attendance at 17,000 fans. In fact, there may have been more people than that.

Subscribers can read this issue here.

Pacific Rim: A look back at the 1998 Real World Tag League finals

Posted on by Jim Valley

On a new Pacific Rim Pro Wrestling podcast, we take a trip back to the late-90s, specifically 1998.

26 years ago on December 5, 1998, the finals of the All-Japan Pro Wrestling Real World Tag League took place as Kenta Kobashi & Jun Akiyama faced off against Vader & Stan Hansen.

Fumi Saito talks to me about how this wasn’t just one of the best matches of the 90s, but that it symbolized a lot of changes happening around the end of one century and the beginning of another.

Plus, we chat about career of Mighty Inoue, and plenty of other news and notes.

Click here to listen (sub needed)

July 17, 2006 Observer Newsletter: Kenta Kobashi, UFC 61 recap

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Kenta Kobashi underwent a five-and-a-half hour operation on 7/6 in a Tokyo hospital that wasn’t released publicly to remove the cancer in his right kidney. While we don’t have this confirmed, it is believed they had to remove the kidney.

The good news was there was no sign of the cancer having spread. He is currently still in a hospital in Tokyo, the name of which has been kept secret. Very little in the way of details were publicly released the next day by Pro Wrestling NOAH to reporters at the house show in Takasago. The company has not publicly addressed the issue of if or when he will come back, other than rumors have surfaced that at some point he will wrestle again.

Haruka Eigen, who works in the company’s office after retiring in March, went to visit him in the hospital on 7/10 and reported he was doing well and he can walk. With all of the wrestlers on tour, the belief is many will visit him in the hospital on 7/15 or 7/16, when the tour hits Tokyo for the Budokan Hall show.

Subscribers can read this issue here.

July 10, 2006 Observer Newsletter: Kenta Kobashi, Pride Critical Countdown Absolute

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Kenta Kobashi, arguably the greatest pro wrestler of this generation, was diagnosed this past week with kidney cancer.

The 39-year-old’s condition was made public on 6/29 with a posting on the door at Differ Ariake before the Pro Wrestling NOAH SEM show that day to shocked fans. Mitsuharu Misawa appeared on the NTV sports news at midnight that evening and announced it to the country. 

The company changed existing plans and redid its television show that aired on 7/2, to be a show talking about Kobashi’s condition and airing highlights of his career. Since the original announcement, Pro Wrestling NOAH has not released any new information. We’re told all the TVs, newspapers and magazines will be given all updates at the exact same time, as they don’t want this to be a story where all the media gets preferential treatment or tries to scoop each other.

After the show, Jun Akiyama, Makoto Hashi, Kentaro Shiga, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Tamon Honda all visited Kobashi and Akiyama said he was happy to see them and they all joked around. Akiyama said he would keep the GHC heavyweight title until Kobashi can return to challenge for it. 

Subscribers can read this issue here.

January 16, 2006 Observer Newsletter: 2005 Observer Awards issue, Edge wins WWE Championship

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Kenta Kobashi won his third straight Wrestler of the Year award in landslide fashion. Already a first ballot Hall of Famer with the highest induction percentage in history (98%), the 38-year-old Kobashi added to a legacy that truly has to rank him among the greatest wrestlers in history.

His four wins ranks him second to only Ric Flair on the all-time list. In a year where business was dominated by shootfighting and Lucha Libre, Kobashi was arguably the most valuable performer to his promotion, as NOAH had a banner year at a time when pro wrestling interest has greatly declined in Japan. He headlined the year’s biggest drawing show, and performed an unheard of triple of having the matches in Japan, the U.S. and Europe that got the most votes in Match of the Year balloting. 

No Luchador has ever won the award, and in a year with no strong U.S. candidates, the fact neither Mistico or Perro Aguayo Jr. got second, and were actually a distant No. 3 and No. 4 may indicate it is impossible for one to do so. Ditto for a shootfighter, as Kid Yamamoto only placed 6th in a year devoid of strong U.S. candidates. 

Subscribers can read this issue here.

July 25, 2005 Observer Newsletter: Kenta Kobashi vs. Kensuke Sasaki classic, Jose Miguel Perez passes away

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Kenta Kobashi and Kensuke Sasaki had what, on paper, was an impossible task to live up to.

The two placed one and two in every Wrestler of the Year balloting last year in Japan. They had never wrestled before. And their first ever match was on 7/18 at the Tokyo Dome, a show that would have to live up to the standard set last year for NOAH’s first ever Tokyo Dome event, which Harley Race (as well as many Japanese reporters covering the show and several of the wrestlers on the show) called the greatest show he had ever seen. The match they would be compared with was Kobashi’s main event on that show with Jun Akiyama, which Race called the greatest match he had ever seen.

“I hope this continues forever” said the NTV announcer in what may go down as a memorable line in the history of wrestling broadcasting when Kobashi and Sasaki were trading blistering chops for nearly five straight minutes with the crowd at a fever pitch midway through the match. The color commentator, returning to the Tokyo Dome, was Yoshihiro Takayama, who until one year ago, figured to be the third man in the three-way battle for Japan’s pro wrestling MVP. Takayama had the best match of his career that didn’t involve his face looking like it was on fire and someone put it out with an ax, against one of the two. He had a great match with the other, but unfortunately, it was so brutal that it may have ended his career. But in watching his two rivals go it at, he was in awe at this point, saying with an understated voice,”These two are unbelievable wrestlers.”

Subscribers can read this issue here.

Kenta Kobashi to appear at Starrcast II

Posted on by Joseph Currier

One of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time has been added to next month’s Starrcast convention.

It was announced this morning that Kenta Kobashi will be appearing at Starrcast II. This will be Kobashi’s first appearance in the United States in almost 14 years. He wrestled for Ring of Honor twice in October 2005, which included his match against Samoa Joe at the Joe vs. Kobashi event in New York City.

In his interview with Sports Illustrated about WWE pulling The Undertaker and Kurt Angle from Starrcast, Conrad Thompson had noted that he was working on bringing a Japanese wrestling legend to the convention.

David Crockett, LAX (Santana & Ortiz), and AEW tag team Private Party (Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy) have also been confirmed for Starrcast today.

Starrcast is taking place at Caesars Palace and the Tuscany Suites & Casino in Las Vegas over Memorial Day weekend (May 23-26). AEW Double or Nothing will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday, May 25.