Kenta Kobashi vs Samoa Joe (ROH - 10/1/2005)

Seconded. This was a weird viewing experience for me. I don't really like either of these guys and was fully expecting to hate it when I first saw it. And then I watched it and was really really liking it. At some point it all fell apart for me personally, but I was surprised by how good it came across at first.

I'm actually not sure if this match makes my list. Definitely a great match and a super-fun watch, but it gets a little to "exhibition-y" for me at times if that makes sense. It may seem ironic as NOAH-era Kobashi is my avatar and the guy is probably my favorite wrestler of all-time, but this match seems to be the epitome of "Chopbashi". That being said, this is still a really good, hard-hitting match and one of the most fun matches you'll see. Just not sure it's one of the 100 greatest ever.

This match is just MARK OUT CITY! Kobashi in an ROH ring just immediately gives me goosebumps. This match happened right before I got into Youtube. In 2006, I really discovered Youtube and was gobbling up willy nilly so I dont think at the time I would have really appreciated this match, but now I can really feel it. 

Kenta Kobashi vs Samoa Joe - ROH 10/1/05

I wish you could bottle the electricity and emotion in the building for this match. Samoa Joe at his peak wrestling his idol. Kenta Kobashi just after his tremendous, historic heavyweight championship reign wrestling in America for the first time. Ring Of Honor, which was basically a puroresu promotion in America, achieving its pinnacle by having the biggest Puroresu star in American's eyes against their biggest star. Then what I believe could be the greatest crowd of all time just marking out each every and every second. What a tremendous package! They could have gone out and read the fucking phone book and we would have all marked out! What a dream match! The match I wish the most that I got to see live. I have never watched this match until right now and I was marking out just like everybody else. I don't think this is *****. I am not trying to be a Debbie-Downer, but it is a Greatest Hits of All Japan done in America. That's exactly what it was supposed to be! I am grinning like a Cheshire Cat throughout the whole thing. Watching Samoa Joe do Kawada Kicks and Kobashi's response was just magic. The look on Kobashi's face throughout the match as he scanned the arena. I don't think he could believe he was so fucking over. I wonder if he was thinking "Baba should have had touring over here!". Kobashi was at his Kobashi The Destroyer asskicking best turning Samoa Joe's chest purple. The main criticism I hear of this match is that it is Chopbashi. It is definitely Chopbashi. He was coming off the big Dome match with Sasaki and it is wrestled very much in that vein. It works in this setting because the match truly is a dream match. When you are watching it, you actually feel like you are dreaming. Like Kobashi in a ring that says ROH and surrounded by a bunch of Northeast Maniacs! That surrealness plays into the larger than life effect. Chopbashi is larger than life. Another reviewer said this match is half about Joe eating Kobashi's spots. We were all marking out of the Half Nelson and Sleeper Suplexes! That was incredible! I think Joe definitely looked credible against Kobashi. Another reviewer said Joe is basically a midcarder in NOAH, which was true but in America he was top dog and Kobashi let him do top dog things. The dive elbow through ropes ala Misawa gave Joe the advantage at the beginning. I loved the running facewash and how Kobashi countered it. That was a great bump by Joe into crowd off the chop! It was a very selfless performance by Joe. Joe's powerbomb into an array of submissions came off really great because of how well Kobashi was struggling. That was probably the best version I have seen of that sequence because Joe was properly reacting to Kobashi getting close to the ropes. When it came time, Kobashi DESTROYED Joe and I am sure Joe was marking out like the rest of us as Kobashi was chopping his chest purple! BURNING LARIAT! They did not overstay their welcome. The match was just one extended Mark Out Sequence and it was glorious! ****1/2

Watching this, I thought it was a well-renowned classic that didn’t hold up. Then the last third or so of the match started when they did the camera angle switch when Kobashi chopped a charging Joe. From there they engaged in what some might call excessiveness but it whipped the crowd into a frenzy. This opened up all possibilities for dream matches to follow which makes it important but the fact that they gave each other so much and worked the crowd so well makes the work hold up.

Preach it 

I certainly appreciate all of those points and for that I love how excited certain folks get for it.

I think my problem is that I was already entrenched in ROH at the time but this was also my introduction to Kobashi. So my original association is kinda being an outsider, not understanding who I’m seeing.