#30: Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Kenta Kobashi, AJPW Super Power Series (6/11/1999).
This is for Misawa's Triple Crown Championship.
This is the 3rd match in the acclaimed late 90s trilogy between my two favorites of the Four Pillars. Thus far, Kobashi has yet to defeat Misawa in a Championship match.
The fans are molten for this already. That says a lot about the chemistry between these two this far into the heyday of All Japan in the 1990s. Kobashi goes for an armbar right away. Kobashi gets a side headlock in, and Misawa tries to slip out. Kobashi gets a takedown in with the headlock still locked on. Kobashi blocks a forearm with a back handed chop. He pops off another side headlock takedown.
A big shoulder tackle from Kobashi, followed by an arm drag. Misawa takes control of the arm, but Kobashi hammerlocks the arm of Misawa instead. He drives his knee into Misawa's arm. A nice back and forth exchange sees Misawa stretch Kobashi's arms behind his back. Kobashi reverses and stretches on Misawa. Misawa regains control and hits a dropkick.
Sleeper hold locked in. Kobashi chops in the corner, and Misawa drops him with a forearm. A gut wrench suplex follows. Both men exchange chops and forearms. Kobashi finally drops him with a spinning back chop. A gut buster gets him a 2 count. Kobashi locks a Boston Crab on Misawa. A big knee to the gut from Kobashi. Misawa connects with a baseball slide to the outside. Kobashi catches Misawa in a scoop slam to the floor. Ouch.
Kobashi sends Misawa from the apron to the barricade arm first. An axe kick to the head that sends Misawa face first into the barricade follows that. He brings the arm down over the metal part of the turnbuckle pad. Kobashi gets a keylock submission hold, followed by an armbar. Kobashi explodes with a German Suplex, then a Half Nelson Suplex. He then goes immediately back to the armbar.
Kobashi is bleeding from the nose now. Misawa hits a DDT out of nowhere. Back handed chops from Kobashi. He tries to suplex Misawa to the outside, but Misawa escapes and back suplexes him to the floor! Misawa connects with a tope to the outside. A shotgun dropkick from Misawa, then a frog splash gets a 2 count. Misawa barely hits the Tiger Driver, due to his bad arm. Misawa tries the Tiger Driver on the apron, but Kobashi counters with a backdrop.
Half Nelson suplex to Misawa from Kobashi. Kobashi pops off a German Suplex into a pin that gets a 2 count. Two powerbombs follow, and then a sit out suplex for another 2 count. Kobashi connects with the moonsault, and Misawa still kicks out. Misawa blocks one clothesline, and Kobashi clocks him in the back of the head.
Kobashi places Misawa on the turnbuckle and lariats him to the mat! He makes the cover, and Misawa kicks out again. Misawa counters a powerbomb attempt, and hurricanranas him to the outside and into the barricade. Misawa with a German Suplex in the ring. Kobashi unloads with a lariat in the corner. Misawa hits a forearm to the arm of Kobashi. A Tiger Suplex gets a 2 count for the Emerald Warrior.
He hits a forearm to the head. Tiger Driver 91 connects flush, and Kobashi kicks out! Kobashi pops off a Half Nelson suplex, followed by a lariat that gets a nearfall. Misawa forearms him twice, followed by two more. Tiger Suplex gets a nearfall. Or, was it a Half Nelson sleeper suplex? I couldn't tell. More chops to the head by Kobashi, and Misawa busts out Emerald Flowsion for the win!
That kicked so much ass. It wasn't better than their 1997 bout, but it blew away the 1998 match. This was methodical, and it cut back on the excessiveness. Kobashi continues to inch closer to that elusive victory, but Misawa is still just a little bit better. Fucking righteous bout.