Kuniaki Kobayashi, a major figure throughout the ‘80s war between New Japan and All Japan Pro Wrestling, died at the age of 68.
The junior heavyweight turned heavyweight performer had battled myriad health problems since the early ‘90s and cut short his career in 2000.
He was born on January 11, 1956, in Komoro in the Prefecture of Nagano with a pathway to the industry that went through the New Japan Dojo.
Kobayashi was only sixteen when he entered the Dojo during New Japan’s inaugural year of operations. The future junior heavyweight champion would debut in early 1973 teaming with future legend Tatsumi Fujinami in a handicap loss to Kotetsu Yamamoto.
After several months, he was shipped to the U.S. for seasoning among multiple territories including Championship Wrestling from Florida where he worked as Taro Kobayashi. In Florida, he shared the ring with the likes of Stan Hansen, Steve Keirn, Tim Woods, and Tony Charles. He had a cup of coffee wrestling for Georgia Championship Wrestling including a televised match with Bob Orton Jr.
Kobayashi would gain a degree of notoriety wrestling for Central States in Missouri and select dates in St. Louis for promoter Sam Muchnick. On December 9, 1973, he teamed with Tokyo Joe to challenge Central States tag champions Jim Brunzell & Mike George. Weeks later, he had a non-title match against NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Jack Brisco at the KPLR Studios in St. Louis to cap off a rookie year working with some incredible talents before his eighteenth birthday.
He remained in the U.S. throughout the first half of 1974 where his St. Louis bookings included matches with Billy Robinson, Wahoo McDaniel, Bob Ellis, and Billy Red Lyons before returning to his home promotion in May.
Back in New Japan, he was losing on the undercard on a nightly basis and paying his dues during the formative years of the company. In 1976, he crossed paths with career rival Satoru Sayama for the first time and routinely had his arm raised against the future Tiger Mask. Sayama would gain his first victory over Kobayashi on February 6, 1977.
Kobayashi’s next international destination was Mexico for the UWA promotion where he spent two years developing under that style. He was part of several major matches including when he wrestled Perro Aguayo for the UWA World Light Heavyweight title at El Toreo on October 26, 1980, with Lou Thesz serving as the special referee.
Kuniaki Kobayashi was a major star in Mexico. He headlined a lot of cards during a really hot period at the box office.
Here he is battling Los Misioneros de la Muerte! pic.twitter.com/49qoEsjCYC
— Matt Farmer (@mattfarmer93) September 10, 2024
Kobayashi worked multiple matches in early 1981 teaming with Lou Thesz in various Trios contests including Billy Robinson, Ray Mendoza, Dorrel Dixon, and Villano III.
Kobayashi teamed with Gran Hamada & Enrique Vera to take on El Signo, El Texano & Negro Navarro a.k.a. Los Misioneros de la Muerte in a Triple Hair vs. Hair match with Kobayashi’s prevailing at Arena Mexico. One year later, Kobayashi was on the losing end of the same stipulation while teaming with George Takano & Hiro Saito against Los Misioneros on an EMLL (now CMLL) card.
Kobayashi was able to moonlight in Los Angeles during this excursion and had a brief reign as NWA Americas Champion, beating Tim Flowers on July 18, 1982, and dropping the belt one month later to Black Gordman.
His career escalated upon returning to NJPW in 1982 as its junior heavyweight division was heating up and Kobayashi would be thrust into the thick of it.
With Sayama donning a new persona, it opened the door for Kobayashi to become the “Tiger Hunter”.
Under his new character of Tiger Mask, Sayama and Kobayashi renewed their rivalry in October while Tiger Mask held the WWF Jr. Heavyweight Championship. Tiger Mask was the dominant figure of the division until he abruptly announced his retirement in 1983 and exited the promotion after his dissatisfaction. Kobayashi would be placed in a top role as his successor.
During this era, Kobayashi had aligned with Riki Choshu to form Ishin Gundan (Revolution Army) with Masa Saito, Killer Khan, Animal Hamaguchi, Yoshiaki Yatsu, Isamu Teranishi, and Tiger Toguchi. In a monumental move, Choshu left his group to All Japan in late 1984, shifted the Japanese industry’s power structure, and coincided with All Japan secretly signing the British Bulldogs away from New Japan.
While in AJPW, Kobayashi would engage in a rivalry with the second incarnation of Tiger Mask (after obtaining its rights from New Japan) with Mitsuharu Misawa working under the mask. The two would have a match on June 21, 1985, which was voted Match of the Year in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Kobayashi became the NWA International Jr. Heavyweight Champion in the same month when he beat Dynamite Kid and held the title until August 31, when he lost to Misawa. He would have one reign as PWF Jr. Heavyweight Champion in November 1986, beating Hiro Saito and dropping the belt on January 3, 1987, to Masa Fuchi.
The Ishigun contingent would return to New Japan in 1987 where Kobayashi would essentially wrestle for the remainder of his full-time career.
After Shiro Koshinaka was forced to vacate the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight title due to injury, Kobayashi won a two-night tournament to secure the vacant championship in August 1987, beating Nobuhiko Takada in the final at Sumo Hall. Hiroshi Hase succeeded Kobayashi, defeating the champion on December 27.
In 1988, Kobayashi participated in the Top of the Super Juniors (a precursor to the modern Best of the Super Juniors tournament) in a stacked lineup that included Takada, Owen Hart, Keiichi Yamada, Hiro Saito, Tony St. Clair, Tatsutoshi Goto, Masakatsu Funaki, Kazuo Yamazaki, Norio Honaga, Hiroshi Hase and won by Koshinaka.
In 1989, New Japan would stage its first event at the newly constructed Tokyo Dome on April 24 in a venue that became synonymous with NJPW over the next decades. The former Keiichi Yamada was transformed into a children’s superhero, Jushin Thunder Liger, and the new character was introduced with Kobayashi tapped to be the opponent in that historic unveiling. Liger won the match in approximately ten minutes and would become the most revered junior heavyweight star.
Kobayashi would ascend to the heavyweight at the start of the next decade and teamed with Shiro Koshinaka, but health ailments would impact his career. In 1992, he took an extended sabbatical when he learned of a colon cancer diagnosis leading to a significant portion of his large intestine being removed. Despite the major procedure, he would return in February 1993. The problems would intensify as the cancer metastasized to his liver and would be a contributing factor to his career ending in 2000. Later, he also dealt with lung cancer.
In September 1995, he participated in an exhibition with his rival Sayama at a Shooto event where Sayama knocked him out with a kick to the body. The card included notable figures Erik Paulson, Zane Frazier (in his first contest since UFC 1), and Rumina Sato.
Kobayashi would team with Dos Caras & Dynamite Kid (Tom Billington) in a six-man tag against Sayama (as Tiger Mask), Mil Mascaras & The Great Sasuke on October 10, 1996, in Billington’s last match of his career on a Michinoku Pro event.
In April 2000, Kobayashi held his retirement match, losing to Jushin Thunder Liger at a packed Korakuen Hall after a year away from wrestling.
He would come out of retirement multiple times including a Legends battle royal in May 2003 in concert with NJPW’s Ultimate Crush event at the Tokyo Dome. In October 2009, he was part of a battle royal won by Kazuchika Okada on Masa Chono’s 25th Anniversary show at Sumo Hall and wrestled multiple independent dates with Sayama.
Kobayashi would stay involved in working on commentary for New Japan and worked at the NJPW Dojo. His final match was as a surprise entrant in the New Japan Ranbo on the pre-show of Wrestle Kingdom 11.
Yahoo Japan reported that Kobayashi had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this past February but only disclosed the illness to a select number of people.
