I am going with Michaels on this one. I have seen both of these men wrestle in person and if this match ever took place it could sell out the new cowboys stadium. Kobashi is no slouch but HBK has done the impossible and will continue to. All he has to do is slap on the figer-four leg lock and Kobashi's bad knees will make him tap.
Yes Shawn's back is shot but Kenta isn't exactly a spring chicken he has had as many surgeries has Shawn and Shawn's submission is designed to put pressure on the lower body which is Kenta's weak point.
I'd be hard pressed to find a match where Kobashi actually tapped. Also, I seriously doubt someone who came back to wrestle
at the age of 40 after surviving kidney cancer won't have enough will to endure a figure-four leg lock. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Kobashi could hang with Michaels even without the use of his legs; Kobashi just flat-our wants it more, and he has shown this in almost every single match that he has ever partaken in.
I just cheacked Kenta Kobashis entire career lot's of five star matches no experience in Ironman matches where you need to use time to your advantage. I could see at the beggining Shawn getting his back side pounded but coming in and getting a cheap pin or a sweet chin music out of nowhere and pretty much ducking all of Kenta's manuevers considering at Wrestlemainia 25 Shawn took all four of Undertakers finishers and one more tombstone to finally be put down. Shawn Micheals for the win
Kobashi's taken just as much, if not more, punishment than Michaels took from The Undertaker at WM 25
in multiple matches. For proof, just go on ahead and look up Kobashi's match with Vader on 15 January 1999 (here I'll post it for you):
[YOUTUBE]8PfryYZXkaM[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]ItnfNh7Q0EE[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]crQ6YVvzTRw[/YOUTUBE]
What would be considered an excessive amount of punishment and near-falls in WWE are the norm for guys like Kobashi. Also, you are technically correct in saying that Kobashi has never partaken in any Iron Man matches per se, but this doesn't mean that he hasn't participated in lengthy matches throughout his career. In fact, I'd hazard to guess that the average length of his matches is somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes; Kobashi matches lasting from 45 minutes to an hour are not a rarity.
Ultimately, except for multiple falls. there's no difference between an Iron Man match and a one fall match lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.
Just adding in that it's not as if HBK has never had a match go for over 20 minutes before. Everyone is quite intent on saying "Well he's only really been in an Ironman Match at Wrestlemania XII, so he can't really go". HBK can and has wrestled matches that have gone well over the 30 minute mark that is set my the stipulations in this match, and he's wrestled past the 60 minute mark on occasion also.
I'm not slinging him my vote just yet, but I just want to put a damper on the fact that he's going to be dead after 10 minutes and Kobashi won't be. He's drawn with both Kurt Angle and Bret Hart in Ironman matches, both considered to be some of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Then again, Kobashi is as an all time great as well.
No one's saying that Michaels doesn't have what it takes to participate in an Iron Man match. What we're saying is that his opponent outmatches him in almost every way imaginable, and that what few edges Michaels does have over Kobashi are more than made up for with Kobashi's indomitable fighting spirit.
I am going to go with Michaels here. We can ignore actual ironman matches, and look at marathons. HBK went forty minutes with The Undertaker, took three tombstones, and was pinned once. What is Kobashi going to do to Michaels that Taker didn't? Are we now saying that Kobashi is more brutal, delivers more punishment, or hits harder than the best pure striker in the game?
If it's a thirty minute match, I say Michaels does his best Floyd Mayweather impression and gets on his bike for thirty minutes and sneaks a superkick in at the end to win 1-0.
Kobashi is just as brutal, delivers just as much punishment, and hits just as hard as the Undertaker. I'd go so far as to say that Kobashi would beat The Undertaker on any single day save for the one on which Wrestlemania takes place.