All Japan Pro Wrestling: Summer Action Series II ’91 – Day 17 (09-04-1991) Kenta Kobashi vs. Stan Hansen

An animal unleashed!

Before the bell even rings Stan Hansen has floored Kenta Kobashi with a nasty Lariat. The ref refuses to count, but the message has been sent. Hansen isn’t taking Kobashi lightly, he very much is treating Kobashi as a threat. From that starting point the match takes on a clear and concise structure. Kobashi is the young lamb, full of promise and hope. Hansen is the big bad wolf; a grizzled apparition of complete destruction. It’s up to the lamb to fight back against the wolf; but how can a lamb hope to put up such a fight?

Early on the answer is; the lamb really can’t. Hansen eats Kobashi alive, mauling him from one side of the ring to the next and even outside to the floor. There’s literally nothing Kobashi can do to stop the onslaught of the enraged Hansen. It’s not even wrestling that is taking place really, it’s a one sided beating. Throughout this section of the match Kobashi has a couple of jobs; bumping big and selling how near death he has become. To those ends Kobashi is excellent, as he finds the right medium of bumping big but not bumping so big that the beatdown becomes comical. His selling is top notch, as at times I felt for Kobashi and wanted him spared any more beatings from the stud known as Stan Hansen.

The second half of the match is different, but Hansen remains the same. It’s an important distinction to make. Kobashi does mount a comeback, and he gets more and more offense in on Hansen. At the same time Hansen never wavers from his approach. Just because Kobashi is fighting back that doesn’t mean Hansen stops being the big bad wolf. Hansen claws and digs at Kobashi, even as Kobashi is mounting more offense Hansen is trying to rip the Japanese youngster apart. This approach really hits home the force of nature that is Hansen.

The approach of Hansen also  makes Kobashi look stronger and stronger. He holds his own against Hansen, and in doing so he becomes more legitimate in the eyes of the viewer. In no way does this detract from Hansen or his aura, rather it keeps Hansen’s aura and presence intact while boosting Kobashi to new heights. It really is amazing how someone can give as much as Hansen does and still manage to look just as strong as when he entered the match. That’s why Hansen is one of the greatest wrestlers to ever live, well, one of many reasons.

I stand by my statement that this is more than a wrestling match. It’s a mauling and a one sided beating that becomes a calling card for the toughness of a young star. Hansen wins in the end, but Kobashi comes away as a man to be taken seriously. He could have won, and that means he could beat anyone in the promotion. Hansen is still the big bad wolf standing at the gate. But, Kobashi is a lamb with a rocket strapped to his back. All it will take is another little spark and the big bad wolf will find one lamb he doesn’t want to mess with anymore.

Cheers,
Bill Thompson