Kenta Kobashi vs Akira Taue (AJPW - 7/24/1995)

For me I prefer their Carny Match from 95, I think I like their 98 and 2004 match more too, but this one is still great. The most underrated of the Four Corners combinations and I think the most natural fit the most babyface ca the most Heel. I’ll nominate the Carny match soon.

Kenta Kobashi vs Akira Taue - AJPW 7/24/95

In my opinion, Kobashi vs Taue is the most underrated singles pairing of the Corners combinations. I love their Carny '95 match, their 1998 and 2004 matches. All three I have rated ****1/2 or higher and it is a pairing I prefer to say Kobashi vs Kawada. I think it makes sense that this match-up is so great because it is most heelish of the Four Corners pitted against the most babyface of the Four.

I loved the beginning of this match. Kobashi was FIRED THE FUCK UP! I would hazard to guess that Kobashi is still pissed from 6/9/95 and is out for blood. He chops Taue so relentlessly that Taue ends up on the outside. Taue tries a jawbreaker, but Kobashi won't be stopped. He fights through it. He drops Taue on the top rope throat first ala Taue giving Taue a taste of his own medicine! A good pop, but you know that pop would be even bigger in America! Japanese fans tend to hate cheating or low-down tactics no matter who does it even if it is a babyface throwing it back in a heel's face, they still don't like it, whereas America this would have gotten over huge. Kobashi would have been great in America without ever speaking a lick of English, I am completely convinced of that. Sorry I got sidetracked by some urgent work ok where did I leave off.

Kobashi does the usual All Japan where they eat the railing and then ricochet off but in this case Taue catches the charging Kobashi with a NODOWA~! It is not off the apron so it is not an official NODOWA OF DEATH. Taue rolls him back in...DYNAMIC BOMB! The woman in the front row's facial expressions are perfect you can tell she's a big Kobashi fan. This is all within the first 5 minutes and I loved it. It was a change of pace from the usual All Japan structure. They were going balls to the wall. What's the issue? Well I see there's 27 minutes left on the video. If they were going 5-10 minutes more, that's great but I am a bit worried where they can go here.

In literature, it is taught there are five parts to a story, the beginning, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. Pro wrestling like literature is almost all rising action. The issue with the Dynamic Bomb early is that it is a climax and now there is going to be a long falling action, which feels weird. Taue rolls Snake Eyes, he launches Kobashi from a back suplex, hits a Big Elbow Drop from top. All great moves if this was Rising Action leading to the Dynamic Bomb, but now that they are Falling Action, it falls flat. The transition is terrible to Kobashi and I bitched about it in 2012 and I will bitch about it again. Kobashi eats a Atomic Drop, sells it standing up and just hits a side kick and that's it he is in command. Kobashi signals for the moonsault but Taue rolls out to the floor. At least they didnt hit Kobashi Climax immediately. Instead, we get a brilliant moment of radiant fire. Taue blocks the powerbomb attempt and Kobashi chops the ever loving shit out of him and then Powerbombs him to Hell on the floor. Jackknife Powerbomb gets two inside. At one point, Taue slaps Kobashi and Kobashi slaps the fucking taste out of his mouth. The layout has been weird, but Kobashi's performance has been red hot and Taue has been a great dick. Again, I thought they started to meander. Hard hitting stuff, but Kobashi hit the Powerbomb, logically they needed to go to Moonsault, but again they started to do this Falling Action instead of Rising Action. The transition back to Taue is much better. Kobashi misses a second rope shoulder tackle and then Taue tries a Pump Kick but does it in the most Awkward Taue fashion possible.

Then best part since Kobashi started chopping Taue was this incredible Apron struggle. Ever since Carny '95, every Taue match features this amazingly dramatic struggle for Taue to Chokeslam his opponent off the apron and for his opponent to avoid it at all costs. I am not going to give the blow by blow but it lasts for like two minutes and it is just fucking epic. In this round, Kobashi won and guillotine legdropped Taue's head on the middle rope. My gut says they meet again on the apron before this is all over. My gut was wrong by the by.

Kobashi was relentless down the stretch. Guillotining Taue's neck whereever he could including the railing. Brutal chops to the neck anytime Taue put up a resistance. DDTs and then epic Sleepers down the stretch. I disagree with myself the issue with this match was Kobashi doing moves to a prone Taue, I felt Taue fought back and Kobashi really had to earn his advantage. The 4+ minutes of sleepers were great rivaling the Benoit/Eddie match of 96. Kobashi was tenacious and Taue sold so well. As I was mentioning before the Japanese did not see Kobashi's tenacity as a positive when he kept the sleeper applied even as Taue rolled to the outside or when he reapplied it as Taue was on the apron. They booed the latter pretty heavily. Interestingly when he dragged him back in over the top rope in the sleeper they cheered effusively! It was a great spot, but Kobashi would have been cheered from jump in America. In Japan, they are definitely more respectful of the rules.

I loved Kobashi's facial expressions after he couldnt put Taue away from the sleepers and moonsault. It was logical to go from sleeper to Moonsault. The first one Taue rolled away. Kobashi's "You got to be fucking kidding me" look great only to be outdone when he nailed the moonsault and Taue still kicked out. Kobashi hits a massive powerbomb but Taue does one of those All Japan pop up, stagger around, tumble to the outside sells. I didnt love the Taue transition as it was just a back drop out of a powerbomb on exposed concrete. Actually the transition was great and really should have garnered Taue a countout victory what I didnt like it how Taue fired back up. They were down to two minutes to go in the timelimit. NODOWA~! Nothing doing. Super Nodowa?!? Kobashi blocks. Kobashi wants the Dragon Suplex...but Taue kicks off the top rope to crash down on Kobashi and they futz around and that's the time limit.

There is a lot to rave about in this match, Nodowa on the floor and Dynamic Bomb inside 5 minutes means the pacing was totally different from most All Japan matches. Kobashi was ON FIRE on offense, the chops on the outside leading to the Powerbomb and then legdropping the hell out of Taue and the tenacity of the Sleeper. I loved the Apron tight rope sequence they did, very dramatic. They built to the Moonsault so well. I did think due to the layout there was too much Falling Action instead of Rising Action and the finish was a little flat (I prefer Carny '95, 1998 and 2004 to this match, but to be 4th place to those match is not bad), but these are nitpicks in the grand scheme of things. I would love to have these type of matches more often in 2020 with so much passion and energy from both men! ****1/4