#249: Steve Williams vs. Kenta Kobashi, AJPW Summer Action Series II (9/3/1994).
This is for Williams’ Triple Crown Championship.
Two months prior, Williams defeated Mitsuharu Misawa to win the Triple Crown, ending what would end up being the third longest title reign in Japanese wrestling history. With the Emerald Warrior in the rear view mirror, his friend Kenta Kobashi was next in line for a shot at All Japan’s richest prize.
The bell sounds, and we are under way! If you can believe it, the Budokan are red hot for Kobashi. They fight for ground control right away with some technical work, with neither man getting the advantage. Kobashi takes control of the back, and Williams is able to trip Kobashi and break free. They separate, and circle each other again. They lock hands, and Kobashi looks for the side headlock. Williams uses his great mat wrestling skills to escape and roll with Kobashi on the mat. Kobashi takes side control, and he connects with a rolling cradle for a quick nearfall.
Williams nods in approval, as they circle once again. They go head to head, nose for nose, as Williams asks for a test of strength from Kobashi. The challenger obliges, and we have a test of strength spot now. The crowd pops hard for this! They volley for advantage, with Kobashi forcing Williams down briefly, until Williams powers his way back up. Kobashi attempts to come back with his own raw strength, until Williams uses his own to slowly force Kobashi backwards.
Kobashi pushes himself back up, and does the same spot to Williams. Kobashi goes for a Tiger Suplex, and so does Williams. Kobashi gets to the ropes, causing a break. Kobash with a chop against the ropes to Williams, and he just nods. He likes the pain! They both start throwing hard and stiff chops to the other, and neither man is backing down. Williams takes the side headlock, and Kobashi gets him into the ropes.
More chops, and then they collide into each other with a shoulder tackle. Kobashi hits a diving tackle, dropping Williams, and then hits a dropkick to send the champion to the floor. Kobashi follows, and hits a DDT. Kobashi kicks at Williams head, and then chops him hard. The challenger hits a powerslam to the thin ringside padding. He goes to the top rope, and hits a nice crossbody to Williams, taking both men out! Kobashi places Williams on the barricade, and gives him an ax kick to the back of the head.
Back in the ring, Kobashi continues his assault with clubbing blows to the back. He elbows Williams in the head, and looks for a suplex next. Williams tries to fight it, but Kobashi gets him up anyway and connects. He makes the cover, and Williams kicks out. Kobashi with a chin lock next, as he digs his knee into the spine as well. Williams escapes, and Kobashi kicks him in the back. He gives Williams a chop to the spine, and one to the chest. Spoiler: they look like they hurt a lot.
Kobashi sends Williams head first into the turnbuckle, and the champion responds by kicking him in the midsection. More chops by Kobashi, and Williams is just taking it! Kobashi with rapid fire chops to the side of the neck, and that finally drops the champion. Irish whip by Kobashi, followed by a jumping knee, Tsuruta style! Kobashi covers, and Williams kicks out. Back to the chin lock by the Iron Man. Williams is up, and Kobashi gives him a powerslam. He connects with a leg drop, then goes to the top rope.
Williams avoids his dive, and then hits a brainbuster! Kobashi immediately goes to the floor. Williams follows along, and gives Kobashi a drop chest first onto the steel barricade. Williams digs his boot into Kobashi’s face, trapping it almost between the rungs of the barricade. He brings Kobashi into the ring, and gets a quick nearfall. Williams locks in, what looks to me, like a Regal Stretch submission. He transitions quickly into a Camel Clutch, before hitting another brainbuster. He covers, and Kobashi kicks out. Kobashi rushes Williams, and he gets caught in a Double A Spinebuster, Arn Anderson style! Williams covers, and Kobashi kicks out. Williams then traps the challenger in a Bear Hug submission. Kobashi attempts to escape, and Williams just gives him a suplex in response. He covers, and Kobashi kicks out.
Williams looks for a tackle, and Kobashi counters it with a clothesline. The crowd are hot for the challenger, as he executes the machine gun chops to Williams in the corner. DDT by Kobashi, and another. He covers, and Williams is out at the count of 1. Multiple strikes to the top of the head by Kobashi, and he follows with a sleeper hold. Williams attempts to escape, and Kobashi hits a sleeper slam in response. It gets a 2 count.
He rushes Williams, who gives him a quick arm drag. Kobashi is right back up and hits a huge clothesline. Dropkick to the back by Kobashi, and he follows with a back suplex. Williams blocks a clothesline with a punch to the head. Kobashi slaps the hell out of him, and hits another clothesline! He covers, and Williams just barely kicks out. Powerslam by Kobashi, and he hits a leg drop so good that it would make Hulk Hogan tell the truth!
As Williams lay on the middle rope, Kobashi goes to the apron and hits another leg drop to the back of the head! He makes the cover, and Williams is able to kick out. They exchange hard strikes and slaps, until Williams just shoves Kobashi violently to his back. He lifts him up and hits an overhead suplex. The champion finally seems to be back in the lead. Williams then lifts Kobashi up for a Press Slam, and then just tosses him outside the ring to the floor with ease! It happened so fast, that it came off more brutal than it was. Or did it? I don’t know, it looked rough, and so did the running shoulder tackle from the apron that Williams did to Kobashi immediately after.
On the apron, Williams looks for a suplex into the ring, but Kobashi blocks the attempt and goes to the top rope. Williams meets him there, and hits a top rope belly to belly suplex! Unbelievable. Gut wrench powerbomb by Williams, and Kobashi is able to kick out! Hard chop by Williams, and a right hand. He powerslams Kobashi into two turnbuckles next. He does it one more time, but Kobashi blocks the next attempt into a pin for 2. Standing enziguri by Kobashi, and a dropkick to Williams’ left leg!
Spinning back chop by Kobashi, and a running clothesline follow. He gives the champion a powerslam, and then goes to the top rope. He hits a diving shoulder tackle to Williams. Back suplex by Kobashi, and he tries for one again, but Williams is quick to fight it off. He can’t block a running boot to the face, though. German Suplex by the Iron Man, and Williams kicks out again! Crowd is white hot for Kobashi, like at a fever pitch every time he’s on offense.
Powerslam connects, and so does the top rope moonsault! Kobashi covers, and Williams kicks out once again. Kobashi with a couple of leg drops, and he goes for the moonsault again. This time, Williams rolls out of the way. Kobashi is quick to stay on offense, as he lands several dropkicks to the injured leg, sending the champion to the floor. Williams gets on the apron, and eats a few chops, and a spinning back chop to the head. He’s on the floor once again.
Williams attempts to return to the ring, but he eats a running baseball slide by Kobashi! He seems to have hurt his knee even more on the landing. Kobashi brings Williams back into the ring, and hits a spinning back kick to the ribs, and then a standing leg drop to the back of the head. Another connects, and another. Kobashi goes to the top rope, and hits a jumping leg drop that absolutely crushes Williams’ head. He covers, and the champion is somehow able to get the shoulder up. Williams blocks a suplex attempt, but he can’t block the powerbomb! Kobashi makes the cover, and Williams again kicks out. The crowd are going bananas now, literally shrieking every time it seems Kobashi is about to win, but doesn’t. Kobashi with several chops in the corner, and Williams just rushes out with another violent tackle.
Williams with a dive in the corner, and a belly to belly suplex. He makes the cover, and Kobashi kicks out. Kobashi with several elbows to the head, and a spinning back chop, but Williams is able to hit the Dangerous Back Drop Suplex! That’s the move that beat Misawa two months before this for the title! Williams makes the cover after a brief moment of recovery, and Kobashi is able to kick out! Williams shoves Kobashi back first to the mat, seemingly out of frustration.
Enziguri by Kobashi out of nowhere! Williams elbows him away, but Kobashi is tenacious. Williams with more elbows to the head. Kobashi with a chop, and Williams responds with a Dangerous Back Drop Suplex into the top turnbuckle! Kobashi landed right on the back of his head. Williams hits it for the third time, and that’s enough to finally stop the Iron Man. Williams retains the Triple Crown in his first defense of the championship.
Post match, Williams shakes Kobashi’s hand. Nice show of respect there. They hug it out, and give one another a bow. Williams holds Kobashi back from leaving, and says “one more time. You and me.” He puts over Kobashi hard in the press conference following this event, saying that no one has taken the Dangerous Back Drop that many times and lived to tell about it. He even says that Kobashi may be the #1 challenger in all of All Japan.
In no shortage of words, I’ll simply say this: That fucking ruled. That may be the best hoss fight I’ve ever seen, and I’m including Kobashi’s later bout with Kensuke Sasaki in that conversation. It also ranks as one of the best matches I’ve ever seen from All Japan, and just all around one of the best matches of all time. These two were able to get so much out of such a straight forward story: two big motherfuckers hitting each other and throwing each other around with as little regard to the other as possible.
The story of this match for me was the power game of both men. They’re two big, tough, grizzly bears looking for all out destruction, and as the match went on, it was all about who was stronger. A story that simple shouldn’t work, but the way these two wrestled here, it made all the sense in the world. All of their offense felt big, and it felt important. Listen to the way the crowd bites on those Kobashi nearfalls late in the match. I kid you not, at one point, it sounded like literal shrieking. They wanted Kobashi to take the win here so badly.
But, this night belonged to Dr. Death. He was the stronger of the two, and his Dangerous Back Drop Suplex brought him the day – even if it took an ungodly total of THREE of them! It puts over Kobashi as a tough bastard, while it makes Williams look like a total killer for having to use his ultra finisher more than once to end the match. This was just awesome. I had a blast watching this. I love hoss fights as is, as there’s nothing quite like the simplicty and sincerity of watching two big fuckers just wreck one another.
But here, that kind of match is elevated to a higher standard with the addition of little story bits throughout. And both men grew exponentially because of this match. Williams furthered his status as one of the best gaijin in all of Japan, while Kobashi continued to further endear himself to the audience with his never say die attitude. This ruled. Stop what you’re doing and watch it immediately!