Kobashi being interviewed (July 2023, photo by Tadahiro Uchida)
On the Tokyo Sports note platform, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the retirement of Kenta Kobashi—the iron man of the professional wrestling world—the newspaper series “Confession of the Iron Man,” originally published in 2013, was republished. In the final episode, a special interview was conducted with “the current Kenta Kobashi,” in which he passionately spoke about his deep emotions regarding the unchanging feeling of “youth.”
Original source
Interview with Kenta Kobashi in 2023
Nowadays, the level of Japanese women’s wrestling is extremely high.
—In the blink of an eye, it’s already been 10 years. Your retirement match feels like it was just yesterday.
Kenta Kobashi (hereafter referred to as Kobashi): That’s right, 10 years have passed in a flash. However, the speed of the times’ cycle is much faster than it was 10 years ago. Although there have been various happenings, we have arrived at this 10-year milestone. I feel very pleased and happy.
—Was it more difficult physically and mentally during your wrestling career?
Kobashi: No, it wasn’t difficult. Even though I had many injuries and the match contents were quite intense, I was able to overcome them and share the joy with the fans. That feeling of sharing joy has not changed even now. I am very grateful to each and every person.
—In the first year after retirement, you launched your own independent event “Fortune Dream.”
Kobashi: Starting from 2014, it was held twice a year, and after that, once a year became the pace. I’ve always wanted to create match cards that are fresh and eye-catching. I really put my heart into that.
—For the active-era Kobashi, this kind of idea would have been unimaginable, but from the very first event (June 8, 2014, Korakuen Hall), female wrestlers participated. In the second event (December 10 of the same year, Korakuen Hall), there was a singles match between Meiko Satomura (Sendai Girls) and Stardom’s Kairi Hojo at the time (known as Kairi Sane in WWE, now KAIRI = Free).
Kobashi: It was inevitable, but looking back now, it certainly was a luxurious match card.
—Both wrestlers later joined WWE, with Satomura becoming the NXT UK Women’s Champion, and Hojo forming the Kabuki Warriors with the Empress ASUKA and becoming WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. It seems like you had some foresight.
Kobashi: No, it was absolutely Johnny Ace (my partner in All Japan, now a WWE executive) who was paying attention. That guy was definitely watching my shows (laughs).
—I can imagine it now: “Maybe I’ll reference Kobashi’s match, his eye for talent is never wrong. Hehehe…” You can almost hear Johnny’s voice. In the 5th event (June 11, 2018, Korakuen Hall), then-Stardom’s Io Shirai participated, and on June 30 she announced she was joining WWE. Now she has found great success as Iyo Sky. In July of this year, she became the second Japanese “Money in the Bank” champion in London. Though maybe Johnny was pulling strings again behind the scenes…
Kobashi: Well, I say it as a joke, but the level of Japanese women’s wrestlers is truly very high now. Thinking about what kind of match cards I can create, I’m filled with anticipation for the future.
—In the recent 8th event (June 14, 2023, Korakuen Hall), a mixed-gender match was held for the first time. That was truly surprising…
In June 2023 at Korakuen Hall, KAIRI and Sayaka Unagi (foreground) came to greet Kobashi, whose tear glands burst open.
Kobashi: Times are changing. Also, because this event came five days after “All Together” (June 9, Ryogoku Kokugikan), I wanted to do something in a different form. I personally called KAIRI and asked her to participate, and she readily agreed. Then her opponent was Sayaka Unagi (laughs). Sayaka Unagi is a very nimble and agile wrestler—she is extremely talented. And KAIRI’s abilities go without saying. “Team 200 Kilograms” composed of Chihiro Hashimoto and Yuu is also an extremely powerful team. And then…
—Minoru Suzuki, known as the king of the pro wrestling world, challenged you.
Kobashi: That really surprised me. I was worried about the issue of partners, but (DDT’s Akiyama) Jun accepted my invitation. That match was really fun. It was a rare kind of match.
—When you assisted Hashimoto, you delivered a rare reverse knife-edge chop, surprising the audience. With that kind of power, maybe you could consider a comeback...
Kobashi: See, here we go again (wry smile). Please believe me—I will absolutely never make a comeback. (The End)
Kobashi assisting Hashimoto and delivering a reverse knife-edge chop to Minoru Suzuki (June 2023, Korakuen Hall).