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Kenta Kobashi Recalls Match With Mitsuharu Misawa On 20th Anniversary

March 1, 2023 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
Mitsuharu Misawa Kenta Kobashi vs. Akira Taue Toshiaki Kawada Image Credit: AJPW

Kenta Kobashi had a classic rivalry with Mitsuharu Misawa that culminated 20 years ago today, and Kobashi took to Twitter to remember the bout. Kobashi and Misawa faced off in Pro Wrestling NOAH on March 1st, 2003 at NOAH Navigate For Evolution 2003, which saw Kobashi win the title from Misawa. While they had traded wins over the years, this was the first time Kobashi won when the title was on the line, and Kobashi posted to Twitter today to commemorate the match.

Kobashi wrote:

“It’s been 20 years since GHC today…I’d be happy if it was a match that will remain in everyone’s memories and hearts forever ‼ ︎

(I would be happy if the Triple Crown match, including the 2nd Triple Crown match in 1995, 1997, and the 5th Triple Crown match in 1998 and 1999, would remain in everyone’s hearts… Although I lost all the Triple Crown matches, I fought each match with “preparedness”.)

The two would face off just one more time in a one-on-one match after this, fighting to a 10-minute time limit draw in December of 2004. Misawa passed away in 2009 after an accident in the ring, and Kobashi retired from the ring in 2013.