WWE Calgary, Round 1, Match 5: #8 Harley Race vs. #57 K.E.N.T.A.
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klunderbunker
Welcome to My (And Not Sly's) House
If this was the original Kenta, this would be an epic clash. Apart from that, we have one of the best wrestlers of all time against an indy guy. K.E.N.T.A. is good, don't get me wrong, but Race is nothing short of a master. The original HHH wins this easily.
Harley Race is among the elite, the best of all-time. KENTA is decent in the ring, but against Harley in his prime, he isn't going to stand a chance. This would have been much more interesting if it was the original KENTA, but it isn't. Harley walks all over this.
Man, I love KENTA, but there's no way he would ever defeat Harely Race in a WWE ring. Maybe in a NOAH ring, even in Harely's prime, but no way in hell in a WWE ring, even though Race was made to be a joke in WWE. But I don't think that will hurt him against someone who has never stepped foot in a WWE ring, such as KENTA. But that might bite him in the ass in the next round or one soon after that.
IrishCanadian25
Going on 10 years with WrestleZone
Bad draw for KENTA here. Why do we capitalize his name, anyway?
Harley Race is a thinking man's legend. He's beaten big men, agile men - everyone who's come down the pike. He ruled the NWA when there was parity there, and will have no trouble with an undersized and overmatched KENTA here.
Harley Race is a thinking man's legend. He's beaten big men, agile men - everyone who's come down the pike. He ruled the NWA when there was parity there, and will have no trouble with an undersized and overmatched KENTA here.
Harley Race wasn't the biggest, fastest, strongest, or quickest man, but he was the smartest. Like Triple H, Race slowly worked over his opponents. He out-thunk them. It didn't matter if the man was big or small, Race could beat him. Race has beaten men like Ric Flair where as KENTA has done jack shit.
KENTA being one of the only Japanese wrestlers I have watched, is pretty darn good, but he is going up against Harley freaking Race. Harley has this in the bag, as he is a master in the ring, and a huge legend in this business. I have to give it to Harley here in a landslide.
I believe his name is capitalised to distinguish him from Kenta Kobashi. KENTA's full name is Kenta Kobayashi, so it could be quite confusing.
Anyway, Race will most likly take this in a walk, which I think is slightly unfair. Race should win this encounter, but I'd like to think that there's more than enough justification for somebody to vote the other way.
KENTA is arguably the brightest star in the Japanese industry for the past twenty years. Never before has the Japanese industry been so bloated with former legends holding onto their spot. Japan (Excluding the Gate) today is easily comparable to the worst interpretations of WCW with regards to how easy it is to break though. That being said, it took KENTA less than five years to become one of the most over stars in the country, and that's with him spending significant periods of time abroad, building up international supports.
You do not accomplish that unless you're pretty special.
Stylistically, both KENTA and Race have a lot in common. They both wrested something of a shoot style. In that regard at least, KENTA is far, far ahead of Race. I adore The King as much as the next guy, but his technical ability is famously over rated.
KENTA also gets the nod on a brawling front. It's a lot harder to judge brawling in a kayfabe environment, but I'm going to give the not to the guy with a reputation for working stiff.
KENTA has pinned legends of the industry such as Kobashi, Liger and several others who I'd hold on a level equal to, or above, Harley Race in his prime. He also defeated Bryan Danielson, that doesn't mean much to me, but it might to somebody else, so I thought I'd throw it out there.
So year, I haven't decided yet, but I'm leaning towards voting KENTA.
Little Jerry Lawler
Sigmund Freud On Ritalin And Roids
KENTA is one of the biggest stars in Japan but that's not going to help him much against Race. He was great in the NWA and a very good technical wrestler so he will beat KENTA who would put up a good fight.
Anyone who says KENTA has done fuck all is stupid. The man has put on outstanding performance after outstanding performance and has developed one of WWE's top finishers - the Go 2 Sleep. Among other things, he has one the GHC Junior Heavyweight title and GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team title. Now I'm not saying KENTA should win this - the experience of Race would surely outweigh the speed and strikes of KENTA. However everyone should take into the consideration the fact KENTA is a lethal mix of speed and strikes. More info on KENTA here :
http://www.puroresucentral.com/KENTA.html
http://www.puroresucentral.com/KENTA.html
Mighty NorCal
SHALL WE BEGIN?
Not even remotely close. Harley Race is one of the best wrestlers of all time. Dont belive me, watch the SNME dvd. and ask Triple H, since his entire style is all but carbon copied from Race. add to this that Race was very over in the stampede territory, while Kneta would be a relative unkown in that area. Race, in a walk.
Steamboat Ricky
WZCW's Living Legend
Harley Race wins this easily. Race is a legend and will go down amongst the best of all-time and one of the more intelligent workers to enter the ring. This intelligence will help him as the quick, lightweight KENTA tries to speed his way to a victory. That style of wrestling is big in Japan, but in the frigid, old-school Stampede territory, Race will have the environment on his side as well as the power advantage. Race wins this quickly.
I'm with the majority here, stating that Race will not only win, but make it look easy. KENTA's accomplishment's on the indy circuit don't match anything Race did in the WWE, and his time in Japan doesn't match what Race did in the NWA.
I saw Gelgarin (I believe) state that KENTA was the first to use the GTS. That's fine. But, it would be a tough move to put on Race, and has never been totally believable as a finisher to me anyway. It's the equivalent of a running high knee, and if KENTA can use that to beat Race, we might as well just hand the tournament to Triple H and save the mods and admins the over-use of the infraction button.
I saw Gelgarin (I believe) state that KENTA was the first to use the GTS. That's fine. But, it would be a tough move to put on Race, and has never been totally believable as a finisher to me anyway. It's the equivalent of a running high knee, and if KENTA can use that to beat Race, we might as well just hand the tournament to Triple H and save the mods and admins the over-use of the infraction button.
Then it isn't so surprising KENTA made a big name for himself in such a short time.
How so? I've never seen him labelled a technical god or have his technical ability praised to the moon.
Harley is no slouch when it comes to brawling, as he's shown while competing with the likes of Hansen and Brody.
KENTA beat these legends past their primes. Harley Race pinned the likes of Ric Flair, Terry Funk, Dusty Rhodes, Dory Funk, Jr. and Giant Baba in their primes.
Despite the fact you know Harley should win?
Harley's championship accomplishments make these look laughable.
Christian Battlez
Getting Noticed By Management
KENTA has been very good in NOAH as well as Japan. But this is WWE not NOAH or Japan. Race will win easy as he is stronger and smarter than KENTA.Harley Race in a walk.
KENTA is quite good, and I think had he been somewhere in the 40s seeded wise he may have made a minr upset. However, he is up against one of the most succesful wrestlers of his era. KENTA would have a chance in certain environments, but not in a WWE ring, were Japanese wrestlers have pretty much never amounted to anything.
The Go to sleep is one of the clumsiest finishers going, and it can pretty much never be hit out of nowhere, so KENTA couldn't even pick up a shock win here. No, this will be a Race win quite comfortably.
The Go to sleep is one of the clumsiest finishers going, and it can pretty much never be hit out of nowhere, so KENTA couldn't even pick up a shock win here. No, this will be a Race win quite comfortably.
Shadowmancer
I am The Last Baron
Anyone that says that this is an easy match up for Harley Race is dreaming. This will be a difficult match for Harley Race to win in. KENTA does have the staying power to last against Legends of the ring. But Harley Race has more world titles, and he is the bench mark on which we set for number of world titles to be considered significant. So that is a big point for Race to win it. combine in the fact that Race has wrestled in WWE before, whereas KENTA hasn't. Calgary (dramatic pause) Alberta Canada should be a tough place for KENTA to get crowd support behind him but there will be some. Race has the experience factor and the wrestling chops to take down KENTA but it will be a battle that I would have loved to see happen.
IC the capitalization of a name only really occurs when there is a previous wrestler with a similar name. KENTA and TAJIRI are two of the main examples.
IC the capitalization of a name only really occurs when there is a previous wrestler with a similar name. KENTA and TAJIRI are two of the main examples.
I think it would be tougher then what it's made out to be, but in the end, I think Harley Race shows why he is one of the greatest wrestlers ever, and in my opinion the greatest NWA Champion ever. The guy is brutal, but he can wrestle as good as anyone that ever existed. KENTA in the long run is outmatched and outsized. Even if Kenta tried a ropeadope type match, Race has the stamina to outlast him.
Cena's Little Helper
Mid-Card Championship Winner
Man, I love both of these guys. In the end though, I'm going to have to go with Harley Race. However, I have to say this isn't a match that K.E.N.T.A. would lose; rather, it would be a match in which Harley Race would beat him, if you get my drift. They are equally matched in terms of strength and stamina (in my opinion), and they both have a hell of a lot of willpower, but I think that Race has just a tiny bit more desire to win. If anything, this match would be similar to the once Race had with Flair at Starrcade '83: a brutal battle of attrition with Race, much like Flair, barely eking out a win. Oh, man! I would love to see this match in real life!
Harley Race is my example of a living legend. He is the most calculating man in wrestling history who would look at KENTA, and have him beat while KENTA walked to the ring. Race is the originally dominating man in wrestling, and he will dominate here. Imagine a Wrestling Tournament this large and having Race lose in the first round? Impossible.
I love KENTA. I really do. His fueds in ROH with Bryan Danielson have been classics. KENTA is beyond entertaining and is very skillful in the ring. However, he is matched up against one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Harley Race was so damn good and just has to large of a resume for KENTA to compete with. This match isn't even close- KETNA just isn't on the same level as Harley Race.
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