The Next Vader?
There are members of the mainstream sports media who make a living off of anointing young players as “The Next Whatever.” Think how many young basketball players have been called “The Next Jordan,” or if they are white, “The Next Bird” over the last several years. Reflect for a moment on the simple fact that out of Kobe, VC, T-Mac, LeBron, and all the others, none of them will ever be MJ 23. Adam Morrison is never going to be Larry Bird, either.
Pro Wrestling keeps searching for “The Next Hulk Hogan.” I don’t think they’ll ever find him. Why should any of us waste our time looking for “The Next Whatever” when “The First Whatever” might be standing right in front of us?
So, why am I taking it on myself to call some Pro Wrestling Iron alumnus, a guy who debuted in 1998, a guy I’ve seen live only once (and a handful of times on tape), “The Next Vader?”
Here’s why:
Kenta Kobashi vs. Bison Smith (Aug 1, 2005, Pro Wrestling NOAH):
Smith is an interesting character. I’m far from the first to make the Vader comparison, and it’s easy to see why. Among other reasons, he’s from Colorado, and he sometimes shouts out, “Who’s the man?” He looks more like a cross between Ludwig Borga and Hercules Hernandez, though. In fact, with his gigantic head, huge white mowhawk, and thick, powerful build he looks a lot like a Capcom fighting game character. I like that look for a professional wrestler a lot more than the pretty boy bodybuilder style that Vince McMahon obviously prefers. Plus, he has managed to get the Iron Claw over with the Japanese fans as a finisher to be feared, so you have to love him.
Smith hits hard, and he can take a hit. He’s in the ring with Kobshi, so the Big Lumbering Power Man portion of the match is still pretty interesting, even though it goes pretty slowly. The Vader references start making sense in the second half of the match. Smith shockingly pulls off a Tope Rope Hurricanrana, and an impressive Power Bomb Combo into a Styles Clash. For a moment, the crowd completely buys into the near-fall.
Smith also bumps really well for such a huge man, taking two Half Nelson Suplexes and a Brainbuster right on the top of his gigantic skull.
Vader is, in my opinion and that of many others, the best big man if the modern era. Based on this match I’d say that Smith, if he can avoid injury and keep developing, might only be a year or two away from starting to deserve those comparisons.
If you’d like to see this match for yourself, it’s on Golden Boy Tapes’ Best of Japan 2004.
Next week: The New Liger?
