5 Best Wrestling Matches of 1993

#1. Stan Hansen vs. Kenta Kobashi, July 29, 1993

A little bit of context before looking at this match. First, Stan Hansen is arguably the most successful and revered ‘gaijin’ in Japan, and was widely respected by his peers and fans, even as a heel. To even be in the ring with him was considered an honor, and anyone brave enough to take his savage lariats was considered incredibly tough.

Enter Kenta Kobashi, a man known for being able to absorb a superhuman amount of punishment.

This is quite possibly the greatest slug-fest in Japanese wrestling history. For over twenty minutes, Hansen brutalized Kobashi with his famously-stiff offense, while Kobashi tried his hardest to withstand the onslaught. The near-falls were believable, the strikes looked punishing, and the drama was palpable.

You could feel the electricity in the arena without even being there. Then there’s the ending, which involves one of the most brutal lariats ever seen. The video even shows a photo of Kobashi’s face after taking Hansen’s famous Western Lariat, and his face looks like he had been smacked in the face with an anvil.

In the end, this one of those matches that you can watch over again without having to know anything about either wrestler. All you need to do is watch the in-ring action and that is more than enough to satisfy and wrestling fan.