Flair Region, Memphis Subregion, First Round: (12) Booker T. vs. (21) Kenta Kobashi

[klunderbunker]

This is a first round match in the Flair Region, Memphis Subregion. It is a standard one on one match. It will be held at the FexEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee.

#12. Booker T.

Vs.

#21. Kenta Kobashi

​

Polls will be open for three days following a one day period for discussion. Voting will be based on who you feel is the greater of the two competitors. Post your reasons for why your pick should win below. Remember that this is non-spam and the most votes in the poll win. Any ties will be broken by the amount of posts of support for each candidate, with one vote per poster.

Also remember that this is a non-spam forum. If you post a response without giving a reason for your selection, it will be penalized for spam and deleted.

 

[NSL]

This is another one similar to Race/Baba, wherein I'm fully ready to throw my full support behind one guy, but I can understand any and all arguments for either one. I know Kenta is an innovator that changed wrestling, but there's also the accomplishments that Booker has compiled throughout his career, as well as the sheer entertainment of almost any of his feuds. This is going to be a tough one.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I'm conflicted on this one. On one hand, Booker was one of the guys I grew up with in WCW, so he has the sentimental factor. On the other hand Dave Metlzer has such a hard on for Kobashi, he has given him more five star matches than I have had sex partners.

Leaning toward Kobashi, but I can be swayed for Booker.

 

[Shadowmancer]

Kobashi has a finisher that he has used a total of 7 times in his career, Booker Ts finisher was taken from The Rock. He held the Noah title for a 735 day reign for the GHC Heavyweight Championship. He is one of the 5 Pillars of AJPW during what is arguably the greatest period of a promotion ever in the 90s. He held the triple crown Championship 3 times for a total of 431 days. Who he has beaten in his career is a whos who of some of the greats of Professional wrestling, Like Taue, Kawada, Vader and Misawa.

Booker T was GI Bro

 

[NSL]

Booker Ts finisher was taken from The Rock.

I don't recall Rock ever doing an Axe Kick.

Booker T was GI Bro

I fail to see the point of this argument. Austin was once a Hollywood Blonde. Rock was once Rocky Maivia. Kane was once a dentist. Nash was once Oz. Cena was once "The Prototype". Undertaker was once Mean Mark Callous. Edge was Sexton Hardcastle.

There's a looooooooong list of all-time greats that have had shitty gimmicks at some point in their careers, and you can hardly hold Booker's against him for trying to collect a paycheck in the dark days of WCW.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

This is an oddity, because on paper, Kobashi is quite a bit better than Booker.

Booker's always been a second-tier main event level guy while Kobashi's from that golden generation of 90s Japanese wrestlers that guys who hit puberty during that period adore and write about non-stop (y'know, like Dave Meltzer, zing!).

But Booker was always endlessly fun. Hell, he still is with his inane but wildly entertaining commentary and analysis on WWE's shows now.

Kobashi tells a story (or at least Samoa Joe tells it on Kobashi's behalf), about the one time he came and wrestled in the States. He thought no one would know who he was and he'd be greeted by crickets. He even considered bailing because he didn't want to be professionally embarrassed. He got a rapturous reception. So he is known in North America, but this was on an ROH show with about 1,000 people attending.

Booker's headlined shows around the world in a variety of different forms. Tag maestro, midcard act, King, world champion.

Its funny, Kobashi's an incredible wrestler, with an incredible story, but Booker captures what makes wrestling so magical. No matter what sort of garbage angle he was put in, no matter what sort of material he had to play wit, he could make it work, because he was that charismatic and that entertaining. And when he had actual quality to work with, well then you just watch him shine.

Its head versus heart with this one for me. I'll reach a decision at a later date. I need time to sit on it for now.

 

[enviousdominous]

And we're forced to kick one of two beloved performers out in the very first round.

This is one of those ethical dilemmas where I have to choose between voting with my head or my heart.

I grew up watching Booker T claw his way up the ranks of WCW, working his ass off while only being significantly pushed when lady luck favored him. I remember marking out when he threw The Rock out of a battle royal to earn a shot at Triple H's world title. I remember that he could make you laugh by vomiting on Michael Cole after taking a stink face, and he could make you feel good to see him succeed like when Booker T and Goldust became tag team champions.

However; Kenta Kobashi is arguably the greatest performer in prowrestling history. His dedication to the art form has earned him the respect of Stan Hansen, Giant Baba, Mitsuhara Misawa and countless others. You would be hard pressed to find a match of Kenta Kobashi's that isn't hailed as a five star match. I usually flood the thread with youtube clips to emphasize my point, but I really don't have to in this case. Search for "Kenta Kobashi vs" and if you find a match that isn't five star quality, let me know because I haven't found it yet.

Voting with my head on this one, Kenta Kobashi.

 

[Bernkastel]

Kobashi carried NOAH through a major financial high period and was significantly relevant in AJPW as one of their top stars. Booker T carried WCW through a major financial low period and was significantly less relevant when he switched over to WWE.

On paper I'm feeling Kobashi, due to his consistency. And while the match is outside of Japan, Booker wasn't exactly king of Memphis. Vote Kobashi.

 

[nightmare]

Booker was a great tag champ, but was only pushed to the top of WCW in its dying days where the titles were seemingly given out like participation ribbons at field day. He became better in my eyes with his WWE tenure. Some real good matches & that may just have been because of the talent he had around him, but at least I liked his matches here more than most of his WCW run. Plus some of his backstage stuff with Goldust was pretty funny.


Kobashi has had some damn solid matches & is considered a legend by many more people than those who consider Booker as one. The guy is pretty badass & deserves to go over here. When you list the top 10 wrestlers in Japan, he is in that list. When you list the the best wrestlers in the US, Booker does not even crack the top 20.


I just dont see Booker advancing here.

 

[Sai the Uganda Guy]

Much as I love Booker T, Kobashi is one of the top dogs from AJPW and was a key man in the forming of NOAH. Books can't really compete with that; his time as a top dog in WCW wasn't the best given the time frame in which it occurred, and his time in WWE wasn't much better. Kenta was more relevant in his prime than Booker was in his.
Vote Kobashi.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

Kobashi is probably gonna win this match, but my vote goes to Booker because he called Hogan the n-word and I find that hilarious.

[YOUTUBE]RfFBnoCL2qU[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Khalifa]

I voted Booker. Another tough match but I guess it went down to that I just have lived Booker forever and think he is one of the most underrated people in the last decade/16 years. The guy had every reason to give up for whatever reason but he continued on with mistakes behind him and never looked back. Dude should've been a world champ in 03 and if he stayed on SD instead of going to Raw after his title run he probably would've got another one as well, considering where Smackdown was at during that period of time (although Batista , Edge, Taker was a good three way feud).

I actually don't know much about Kobsshi. From what I am reading thoigh you have to take this dude seriously. I'm just going with Booker here, would love him to get some much deserved credit but doesn't look like it'll happen this year.

 

[BringThePain834]

Booker, in my opinion, was the best guy that WCW created during the Monday Night Wars next to Goldberg and Chris Jericho. He's also the only name I can think of that stuck with WCW until the ship sank and then was able to have success in WWE. And besides the Burning Hammer, my knowledge of Kenta Kobashi is incredibly limited, and for that reason, my vote is going to go for Booker.

 

[Tastycles]

Look, Kobashi is a big deal in Japan, I get it, but he's not some sort of Hulk Hogan or Steve Austin figure there. He was a solid main event hand in Japan but the fact that his sole exertions into the USA came in ROH should suggest the level of mass appeal he was expected to have there.

It's easy to say I'm selling him short here, but Booker T is the most decorated black wrestler of all time. He is one of a very small number of people to have been made by the WCW and then given a title reign by the WWF and he has consistently been an entertaining force for 25 years.

The only time that foreign wrestlers from cultures without traditional success in the USA beat domestic stars is if they are absolutely streets ahead of them, and I don't think that's the case here.

 

[Dmbfantomas]

Kobashi is all around better than Booker T, but Booker T was in Ready to Rumble. That shouldn't be discounted.

I'm pretty torn here, but I think I'm gonna have to side Kenta here. Will be totally happy if Booker moves on, though.

 

[NSL]

I'm going to vote for Booker, thinking back on what he was able to accomplish as part of Harlem Heat in a very shittily (that a word?) booked time period for WCW. We all know well what he was able to do in WWE and TNA, but I think his time in WCW is underrated, and he's very good in the ring.

Not a vote against Kobashi, by any means, but a vote for a guy that I feel deserves it.

 

[justtxyank]

Wow.

Hate to eliminate Booker T like this in the first round. He was one of the top workers of his generation in North America and was consistently underutilized. However, he's just not as good as Kenta Kobashi.