Steve Willams vs. Kenta Kobashi, September 3, 1993

[KoalaSabbath]

THIS IS NOT A STEVE WILLIAMS TRIBUTE!! SHOW SOME REsPECT for the MATCH. EPIC MATCH.

[chuck9788]

Wow ...THIS MATCH RULES!

I thought Dr Death killed him at the 26:51 mark.

[dingoeko]

Steve Williams remember me Zangief from Street Fighter

[HTMAJPW]

@robzrx7 Japanese wrestling is about phycology and building up the match to its final few minutes. Big table spots or shooting star presses aren't needed, its about the chemistry and making a story. You here the crowd! There marking out and going crazy. This match is argubly the greatest match of all time. Go back to ROH and WWE

[AspaceBalla]

5 stars. Amazing match

[evilmidget]

Steve was one of the few American wrestlers in history that could ever be considered Kobashi's equal

[StraightEdgeSavior75]

Thank YOU for posting this up :)

Unreal



[williambbertram]

Just totally awesome.  Both guys just top of the game in just about every aspect. THIS is why people love wrestling. Wow. Thanks for posting.

[edgewwehead24]

for them they throw ribbons

for shawn michaels they throw toilet paper.

[robzrx7]

Cant say I've watched much of All Japan but I saw nothing special until that moonsault around the 23:50 mark and even that wasnt something you won't see in a match in North America. Just saw some regular ol "Catch as Catch Can" wrestling. Nothing special to me Dave Meltzer gave THIS 5 Stars? hmmmmm

[MoosaiLuver]

Kenta Kobashi.

A god among men.

[Cablehero]

Now thats a wrestling crowd!

[Supervillain725]

Hey @ surenopimp,"@Supervillain725 K u mad bro?? you're opinion really doesn't matter to me say what you want it's all irrelevant k thx ." I must have gotten under your skin because you responded. Ha, I win. From now on no matter what you post in response, I can still claim victory because you responded. I'm in your head, I'm on your screen, I'm everywhere. Muwahahahahha

[dlancelin96]

fye match all th way through.......

5stars :)

[Supervillain725]

I think they cut sown some small trees w/those chops.

[bs4830]

Man that suplex at about 27 min was a killer...god dizam dude got dropped on his freegin neck.

[bs4830]

Dr Death is a beast. The states were ok him, but when he left to go to Japan and came back with Bam Bam Gordy in tag team action man those dudes had raised their KI level. They came back alot tougher.

[ElLocoDiabloNegro]

was there any rematch between the two?

[mmscott9]

Kobashi needs to chop some respect into 9 Cena marks

[21richkid]

RIP Steve Williams. Like to see Jack Swagger vs Kenta Kobashi in a 5 star wrestling match. Kobashi could put over the All American American and make him look good.

[frrrrrunkis]

9 people need to quit watching wrestling altogether.

[davidstahr]

@frrrrrunkis indeed..what idiots

[kinouasitakyou]

Japanese wrestling fan never forget you. We love you and you love us.

We don`t say goodbye.

Thank you! Steve 『Dr.Life』 Williams.

[buddygrant]

i love japanese wrestling 'cause they just plain beat the shit outta each other! this is how you properly display the art, WWE & TNA!

[MB69RatedR]

R.I.P. Steve Williams! A true legend!

[tony93666]

two of the greatest of all time! Now, compare this awesomeness to those worthless talentless hacks 'The Miz' or 'Sheamus'... they don't even deserve to be in the same sport! A slim jim is NOT the same as Kobe beef!

[Anihero69]

@tony93666 in ring is only one part of pro wrestling. promos, storytelling, & storylines are big parts of it too. miz is great at at those 3 things & have you even seen any of sheamus o'sheanassy's indy stuff

[tony93666]

@Anihero69 - you just named everything about pro-wrestling that I could care less about. I really DO watch it for the matches & athleticism. If I wanna watch a television drama, I will...

[Anihero69]

@tony93666 ok that's fine, but wwe has always been & always will have those things, so i wouldn't waste my time complaning about it. pure in ring wrestling is great too

[tony93666]

@Anihero69 - I didn't bring it up, you did. That's why I love puroresu - more emphasis on WRESTLING. Yes, I know they have the other stuff too, but man, can you imagine one of the WWE 'Divas' taking on Megumi Kudo or Aja Kong?!

[Anihero69]

@tony93666 you brought it up by saying miz & sheamus were "talentless hacks". i didn't say the divas were any good, i usually fast forward through that borefest

[tony93666]

@Anihero69 - I was saying YOU brought up the storyline soap opera crap... yeah, I think in comparison to the big name Japanese stars, the big name WWE stars pretty much suck, especially these new guys. "The Nexus"? Gimme a break... They know it too, that's why they keep dusting off Shawn Michaels and Edge to do the same old boring crap, just to try and draw a rating. *yawn*

I'd take Yuji Nagata , Tanahashi, KENTA or Tenzan any day over John Cena, The Miz or Sheamus.

[Anihero69]

@tony93666 then why did you need to bring up those wwe guys in your original comment if you don't care about them? it's fine if you don't like that kind of wrestling, but did you need to bring it up in a video about puroresu

[sakonhagakure]

@tony93666

I could see Natalya doing it. Maybe Beth Phoenix. But that's about it.

[ElLocoDiabloNegro]

@sakonhagakure Natalya actually did use to wrestle in Japan one of her main rival was Amazing (Awesome) Kong, she's had some good matches, but Beth Phoenix I still need to see more out of her to make a clear decision.

[RussianWillette]

@tony93666 BWAHAHAHA!!! I've watched women's puro since the early 90's, and they not only outperform most men, but created a lot of the moves you see in the states now. I would love to watch Aja Kong rip Michelle McCool's face off!!

[tony93666]

@RussianWillette - hehehehe I agree totally! Alot of finishers over here were stolen from Japanese wrestlers...

[Supervillain725]

@RussianWillette That's why Michelle McCool retired. Can't have any1 showing up Mrs. Undertaker.

[Suriel1981]

Jeeeeeeeesus, that is possibly the sickest finishing sequence I've ever seen.

[PabloMGP]

@Suriel1981 Amen. The second suplex is siiiiiick

[HORNSWAGGLE123]

he kinda looks like 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan

[WrestlingFanCritic]

people throw ribbons at wrestlers like steve williams and kenta kobashi, while people throw toilet paper at john cena if u watched one night stand 2006!!!!! RIP STEVE WILLIAMS

[TheHorsemanfan]

thanx 4 showin this classic match with 2 of WRESTLING"S GREATEST ICONS!!!! i cancelled cable&24/7 cause vince has no respect 4 true pro-wrestling anymore i"m happy with directv&watchin classic wrestling on youtube the new 24/7.

[Kerbalf]

The ending was SO GOOD.

[surenopimp]

@JMCE1989 Actually wrestling is not scripted as said by Chris Jericho himself in a shoot interview the schedule that these guys have they would never be able to script and choreograph every match the only thing scripted is the ending and whatever storyline that the wrestlers have to do but the wrestling itself is pretty much 2 wrestlers going out there and doing improv for however many minutes their told to be out there for

[CaptainHowdy187]

@surenopimp Absolutely NOT true! Since around 2000/2001 WWE matches are scripted almost entirely: the psychology of the match, each spot, each transition is all worked out backstage. There is some improvisation but only small things that fill in the gap between the next planned spot or move. You can just tell by watching a WWE match nowdays how heavily planned and layed out they are, compare any match nowdays to a match from the 90s or before, very noticeable difference.

[surenopimp]

@CaptainHowdy187 Spots in the match Are scripted nothing else is.

[Supervillain725]

@surenopimp And your point is...?



[surenopimp]

@Supervillain725 WOW responding to my comment from 11 months and 1 year ago...

[Supervillain725]

@surenopimp This just proves your status as douchebag.

[surenopimp]

@Supervillain725 K u mad bro?? you're opinion really doesn't matter to me say what you want it's all irrelevant k thx

[Wurzelknecht]

@CaptainHowdy187 Important spots in matches and the ending are scripted but everything else is in the hands of the guys in the ring. The only start-to-finish scripted match I know of is Warrior vs Hogan because otherwise it would've been a mess. If everything was scripted, then there would be no difference between good and bad performances because really good wrestlers know how to dictate a match and how to make it exciting. Sometimes you can even hear the wrestlers tell each other the next spot

[superfatamusic]

@CaptainHowdy187

True about WWE. Ironically, talented wrestlers have better matches when they are improvised around a few points and spots/momentumchanges. That's why WWE today sucks most of the time (But Money in the bank was better than expected)...

They have talents that never really learn theire craft at the level of generations before them. Something goes wrong and they're often kind of lost.

If you watch international and indie wrestling you'll see far better matches, wrestlingwise...

[BeingASmartMarkSucks]

@superfatamusic Majority of indy wrestlers, wrestle the exact same way, and rely too much on head and neck bumps.

[superfatamusic]

@BeingASmartMarkSucks

Yeah, they put way too much emphasis on risks and highspots/spotfests... That's the price of televised formats, among other things. But, IMO, there's far better matches to be found in the indie circuit, not to say other mainstreem promotions from Japan.

I, like many others, am enjoying MMA more and more, and watching wrestling less and less... :-(

[Supervillain725]

@superfatamusic Actually the house show matches are better than the televised ones. I went to Smackdown last month and the dark matches were better than the main event. They only let them do so much on camera, but when the cameras aren't around is when you really get to see them work.

[TheFatManK]

Thank you Steve Williams

[JakyRedEyes]

this shit is fake. why do people make it out to be real, whats wrong with you americans

[StrategoFett]

No one has made it out to be real for about 15 years. Everyone admits it isn't real so saying "it's not real" is not a valid point since no one was saying it was. You're a moron.

[theperfectone]

Why don't you take three backdrops on your head like Kobashi did in this match? You probably wouldn't make it to the second.

[bassmaster233]

Awesome match!!!

[Icedout911]

On a rating from 1 to 5 stars this earned 6. Thanks Dr Death for one of the greatest matches Ive ever seen. You wont be forgotten!

[shuddersome07]

10:43....wtf?...was NOT expecting that

[GTM92]

R.I.P Dr.Death

[rdltng]

Kenta is a big Japanese dude! And Williams always seemed scary. RIP Dr. Death.

[mkl62]

Kenta, you took on one of the all-time greats that sadly is no longer with us. I know that you are going through some tough times right now yourself. I am praying for a speedy recovery and that you can come back and do what you do best. Best wishes.

[wesclev83]

what do you mean tough times? i know he had cancer awhile ago.

[mkl62]

@wesclev83 Kobashi had emergency surgery on both of his arms in September 2008.

[goukison81]

at 26:54

kenta got dropped on his head......thats gotta hurt

[sonosono3]

RIP Steve Williams

From Japan

[jbails007]

An absolute 5 star match from these two legends.

RIP Steve Williams. I hope people will continue to watch this match and see Williams at his very best.

[oldschoolhero66]

@jbails007 I hope for the same...I didn't watch this early 90s puro stuff until recently..but people really need to watch this for years to come...especially WWE fans...

[diamond4512]

｢バックドロップドライバー｣

ウィリアムスのバックドロップの適切な表現だと思う。

近年、バックドロップをはじめ、頭から落とされる危険な技が多く­使用されているが、このバックドロップに勝るものはないだろう。

ウィリアムス、天国で安らかに。

[jk2900a]

I like how the ref can speak Japanese and english. I wonder if Steve spoke Japanese? He certainly in Japan long enough to pick it up.

Great match. A true wrestling legend.

[wessouthern]

Dr. Death was EXTREEEEEME!

[datrux]

anyone else find it annoying when person after person says, "RIP... whoever" ? Steve Williams was great, but everyone who cares already knows he's dead. we don't need dozens of Rest In Peace messages. it isn't like he's going to be reading them.

[KenSlipknotACDC]

It's clearly a sign of respect...

[bartov]

RIP Steve Williams

[TheDoctorScottShow]

wow.. hadn't seen this one before... AWESOME...

r.i.p. dr. death

[radiodate99]

RIP, Steve, you will be missed, from a fellow "Okie"

[dealmaker007]

RIP Dr. Death

[liquigurt]

RIP Steve Williams, you will be miss.

[saviolap]

R.I.P "Dr. Death" Steve Williams :(

[zayfren]

RIP Steve Williams

[Boojkill]

RIP Dr. Death.

[00AwesomeOne00]

Right on his head, 3 times... Damn O_o

[mmtslove4]

危険技過ぎるだろｗｗ

[UnthinkableJerk]

Well I want to see Kenta Kobashi face a Indy wrestler like Super Dragon. Imagen Super Dragon doing the Psycho Driver or a Barry White Driver on Kobashi. That would be SICK!!!

[SoulOfRuby]

Well he faced Samoa Joe in 2005. Also, guys in NOAH like KENTA and Marufuji do the same things indy guys do.

[seancarletonzero]

Kobashi would fuck up that oversized childrens Halloween costume wearing motherfucker!

[Jikk]

Are you kidding? That scrawny little white guy is used to picking up people his own size.

I'd be suprised if he could even lift up one of Kobashi's arm.

And also, if he took a Kobashi chop, I'd assume he would soil himself.

[SatanicBear]

Super Dragon is too fat to wrestle.

[kevinhardy]

great match

[mrbarber76]

Damn.....suplex @ 27:34

[ReturnOfRizo]

wow great match, its a shame I have to watch videos from 10-20 years ago to find a match I really enjoy every time. Promotions like ROH and NOAH have some absolute gems, but they are too thick and far between compared to 80's-90's All Japan and the consistency of 70's-80's NWA. Good matches from WWF, WCW, a few in ECW, New Japan etc. but nothing compares to Mid-Atlantic in the 70's and 80's along with All Japan right throught it history. It underwhelms me these days, but its still solid.

[gusbarba07]

One of the greatest matches ever...

Thanks for share

[leftdust]

A shame DD's career went down after he went down to a BG left.

[MitsuharuMisawax9]

Dr. Death was very underrated. I am glad people enjoy and get to see his puro work because he was a really solid worker.

[bestthinggoing459]

Wasn't this match rated a 5 star match??

[HerrBluemel]

Best pro-wrestling league ever.

Thanks for the great brawl.

[Smokey137]

Best match

[odinchert]

WWE is such garbage, both, compared to Japanese wrestling and all by itself.

[TheGreatAtilla]

If you watched the main event of WrestleMania this year, that proves your statement.

[PrimeofPerfection]

And if you watched HBK vs. Undertaker, it makes you eat your own words. Puroresu IS more wrestling based, though there are different things to appreciate about each side. If only people learned to get rid of their biases and pick up on good of all to learn how to use all right way.

[MAJS444]

Anyone with any sense expects a HHH main event to suck and an HBK-Taker at Wrestlemania to be a classic.

That's what I expected, and that is what I got.

Why must a talented young gun like Orton hold up that schmuck?????

Too bad that HBK and Taker, two of the greatest wrestlers of all time, in my personal opinion, have so little to work with when one goes up and down the WWE roster....hmmm...Kobashi and Taker TODAY would still be classic, perhaps a bit late, but it'd be good.

[dele3344]

Dude, 30 years from now when Kobashi's in his 70s, he'll still be better than 50% of all the pro wrestlers in the world.

[MAJS444]

Agreed. Would Kobashi-Taker not be a great match though?

It would be a huge draw for those wrestling fans who are tired of the same old WWE shit. It would also hook those kids who were like me in the early 1990s, sick of WWF cartoony wrestling, who loved WCW, and the Austin-Steamboat, Sting-Cactus, Vader-Cactus feuds of that era

And it very well would be yet another 5 star match for Kobashi, who is arguably the greatest wrestler of all time.

Anyways, this match was fucking awesome!

[dele3344]

There are 4-5 guys I'd like to see Kobashi wrestle in the WWE (Taker, HBK, Jericho, etc). Too bad it'll never happen.

[MAJS444]

Too bad indeed....I think Taker in particular has a style which would compliment Kobashi.

It could happen in Japan, with Vince's blessing of course.

It would be a huge draw in Japan were it to happen.

The PPV, were it marketed well in North America, would be an excellent draw as well.

Seems Vince is too arrogant sometimes to exploit a goldmine when it is there, content with his own sublime genius.

[SoulOfRuby]

Well, I wouldn't necessarily say it would be an excellent draw. It would bring in all the RoH and smart mark fans but it wouldn't be a draw to the casual fans since they would have no idea who Kobashi is. In Japan though, it would sell out a Budokan Hall.

I agree thoughm Taker's style would compliment Kobashi's and it would be an amazing match.

[MAJS444]

Yeah, only in Japan would it be a huge draw...only by building up the legend of Kobashi could it work in WWE, though half his moves would probably be banned

[KobashiVsTaker]

Mmmmmmm................. I AGREE!!!!! XD But sometimes i dream of a Taker Misawa match.... welll i would have been awesome....

[MAJS444]

Absolutely.

[odinchert]

hmm, english-speaking ref

[TheGreatAtilla]

Joe Higuchi is his name.

[JonnyGoo1]

no one could dream of working this stiff in the states. those backdrop drivers were crazy, and kenta literally kicked the shit outta williams early on. awesome

[cryptopsyamon]

Kobashi = best wrestler ever imo. Still going strong as well. Too bad "most" american (wwe/tna) fans have NO clue of him - due to most american (wwe/tna) wrestling being nothing but a entertainment (not a sport) show. Jap crowds treat it as it should be - a sport and something to praise. Great match - Kobashi is a beast! Williams was very good as well - made me enjoy him more. Great upload -t\hanks

[AMF4]

one word - Amen

[winkwinkwhataflirt]

Pretty raunchy head bumps at the end there. Loved the match.

[oysterboy9]

i wonder what they said to each other at 16:59?

[NWAfan]

Where would guys like Flair or Steamboat in their prime compared to guys like Kenta Kobashi or Mitsuharu Misawa. I know most smart people think Flair from 1986-1989 was the best american guy ever.

[LOKITUPISBACK]

insane backdrop piledrivers

[antiembishop07]

Like all other American wrestlers, Dr Death and even Bam Bam Gordy realized their true potential as wrestling legends elsewhere while almost being under appreciated in America. This man I used to see WCW and thought he was something to be watched. But just like Vader, Bigelow, and many others, Steve is a wrestling God in Japan and was watered down in America. Most ppl think of him during the WWF Attitude days and that stupid boxing thing they had. That sums it up there.

[genogza]

I remember that like it was yesterday. The whole point of it was to have Williams win and get a huge push, but Bart Gun caught him with a fair one. That tournament was a shoot, too. Too bad they dropped the ball with what Gunn, but then again he kinda sucked anyway.

[Go2Sleep02]

This is a 5 Star Pro Wrestling Match, I love Kenta Kobashi.

[georgyfontaine28]

One of the greatest wrestling matches of all-time.

[junctionboys]

After watching Kobashi duke it out against Hansen and then Williams, he's definitely earned my respect. Very much the worthy opponent.

[dietfreeman42718]

This is my fav wrestling match of all time!

[BrickCity4eva]

WOOOW! an awesome match everybody won this match..even us as fans!! this makes me love pro wrestling and puroresu even more...not sports-entertainment but wrestling...makes me have more respect for wrestlers not superstars...

[ChikaraViper]

I was 1 day old when this match happened =P

[PINTOFLAGER3]

Glad both are doing well now. One of THE best of the 90s.

[laxman522]

Great match, both were in their primes back then....whod've thought they both would be cancer survivors too?

[JarlStaubhold]

Ouch!!

[kodeetheregulator]

in my opinion, this match is second best of all time, behind big van vader v misawa

[junctionboys]

I don't know how many times my jaw hit the floor in this classic. My respect to Williams and Kobashi. Someone had to win, but there was no loser here.

[Bauchschmerz]

awesome match! easy 5 stars

[dolamich]

at 27:37, what did this guy say, the shit funny as hell, someone please translate

[CrimsonShaka]

try "Backdrop Driver" with a heavy japanese accent...

[dolamich]

now thats whats up,that wuz the shit, i had 2 see it n hear it 10 more times

[sexmech27]

I have a couple of questions. Are there any dvds feturing Kent Kobiashi's maches. And if yes, which is the best?

[geldofpunk]

Holy CRAP! Backdrop driver right on the head!!!!

[tokusatsunerd]

What's really amazing about these two athletes is that they both were affected by cancer, yet somehow, they both managed to survive it. Truly amazing.

[kaar20]

what i love about dr.death is hes streant is mostliy natuarl no roides

[TheForgottenFlesh]

Gotta love that homicide backdrop.

[PenguinJockey]

The most brutal wrestling move ever.

[rllanos1234]

great puroresu strong style

[Frank15982]

I like their faces. They show pain,struggle,fatigue,and other emotions. I actually felt their pain in this match. Whoeversays this match is bad deserves a Kobashi lariat.

[HeartBreakKid1987]

By the way this match could not have been on the 3rd of September!

[roylucier]

The actual DATE of this match is August 31st, 1993... the date of the TV airing was Sept. 3rd, 1993, so you are aware.... still doesn't take away from this match being one of the main reasons that so much U.S. fans are becoming puro fans, even 16 years later. Hats off to both of them, esp. being both cancer survivors

[HeartBreakKid1987]

He had cancer but survived it;-)

[HeartBreakKid1987]

Yes he is!!!

[wykjohn1991]

STFU.

[wykjohn1991]

How abt u stfu?

[okrabay]

Is Dr. Death still alive?

[ejosm]

Yeah, he had throat cancer, but he no sold it.

[terrythegreat]

this is not wrestlng this is a brawl. would love to see this in the wwe.

[deadman010]

this is the first ever dr. death match and i am very impressed amazing closing minute, i thought for sure kobashi had it

[FMWnut]

Nice Triple Post Restlessman

[Restlessman]

Steve Williams look like if he was the hybrid from Randy Savage and Chris Benoit.

[Restlessman]

Steve Williams look like if he was the hybrid from Randy Savage and Chris Benoit.

[Restlessman]

Steve Williams look like if he was the hybrid from Randy Savage and Chris Benoit.

[hehehe88]

Kenta just cant be human after sirviving the backdrop driver 3 times.

[hehehe88]

dude Steve is THEE best, will Always be the best, and i dont care about Cena being cena The Original Back Drop will always beat any finisher ive seen.

[FMWnut]

awesome match

[75enforcer]

Dr Death was awesome a shame nobody in the states used him as a top guy closest he eevr came was in WCW I think

[mamacornettesmoney]

"Dr Death was awesome a shame nobody in the states used him as a top guy closest he eevr came was in WCW I think"

He was top dog in the dying days of UWF, but pretty near the top in the territory for the 2 or 3 years before that.

[Kentarules2]

Good Match, a bit slow but still really good. However i think "best of all time" is a huge over statement.

[indyfan4life]

AWSOME MATCH 5 STARS (:

[DVROFFMAN]

Dr.Death from 87-94 could beat anyone past,present. HHH and his Conan attitude wouldn't last 5 minutes.