10 5-Star Matches you absolutely need to know about

#2 Kenta Kobashi & Mitsuharu Misawa vs. The Holy Demon Army (Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue) – July 9, 1995

Mitsuharu Misawa

Not only do some observers still consider this the best tag team match of all time, but up until WK11, it was arguably the best match of any kind of all time. With this match, you get the best of puroresu combined with the dramatic storytelling elements that made pre-WWE wrestling so beloved around the world.

In a rare twist, this match has distinct babyfaces and heels. On the face side, you have Misawa, the company’s ace; and Kobashi, the gutsy, never-say-die underdog partner that’ll do anything to help his partner.

On the heel side, you have Kawada, Misawa’s archrival that was still trying to beat the Emerald Emperor; and Akira Taue, a master of tricks and underhanded techniques.

Together, these four men, known collectively as the Four Pillars of Heaven, put on a spectacular tag team match the likes of which has not been seen or replicated since it took place.

This is, for all intents and purposes, a perfect wrestling match. You have several overlapping storylines that come together to create a match that actually makes you stay and focus on every move, despite the match being over 40 minutes long.

You have Kobashi acting as the ultimate babyface trying his best to help Misawa as he gets attacked several times by his opponents. You have Taue and Kawada trying to destroy Kobashi’s taped-up leg.

You have two wrestlers desperately trying to become tag team champions. But most importantly, you have Kawada trying to finally achieve the one goal that has eluded him for over five years: pinning Misawa.

All of these separate stories come together in a truly beautiful match that defines the term, ‘the art of wrestling’.