Misawa/Kobashi

Misawa had a stoic persona in the ring, but it sounds like he was a bit of a jokester behind the scenes. I read that he liked to playfully mess with Kobashi a little bit -- know anything about that? 

In "Donmai Donmai", Misawa and Kobashi (before Kobashi's illness) used to ask each other questions, Misawa's questions included

"So, I asked Kobashi "Have you ever been crazy about anything other than training?" (By the way, Kobashi, his favorite Shochu is "Downtown Napoleon". I wonder if this was the answer I was expecting...what is more elaborate than training is "Fashion?" It's what??? (laughs) The last question to Kobashi is, "How much money do you have?")"

"Firstly, there was a special program recorded for NTV for New Year, which specified wearing suits. Normally, when talent appears on TV, I think the TV station will usually prepare costumes, but as there is no such thing as our sizes, most of them are our own. This time, Kobashi wore his own suit too. When I saw Kobashi in a shirt, I had the idea of short sleeves. Even though this is the end of year, when is he with the season? Besides, I was sweating just by changing clothes. Well, if I put on a jacket you can't see the short-sleeved shirt. I think I took measures considering the heat in the studio. So, in the waiting room I was asked "Boss*, where do you buy your clothes?". I recalled Kobashi's fashion check. As expected, this is the man who answered, "My hobby other than practice is "fashion"."

"Lastly I have a question for Kobashi. The photobook is on sale now, but which photo would you recommend for an "mature woman"?"

However, this was pretty mild compared to the infamous time when he (possibly in March 1997) called Kobashi from a late night radio show. Kobashi, who was woken by the phone, ran to answer. 

Misawa asked him why he was panting...had he been jerking off? 

Kobashi said no, he had run for the phone as he had been woken up by it.

Misawa didn't believe him.

Sometimes Kawada could join in the teasing...

*Kobashi, Kawada and Misawa were on a roundtable, and Kobashi talked about knee pads*

Misawa: So, how do you use it as an ordinary person? (Grins)

Kawada: Because his knees are bad, he uses it during...

Kobashi: Cut! Cut! Cut!

Misawa said the elbow was not good for such times.

Despite his teasing of Kobashi, and his aesthetic life devoted to training and not much else, Misawa knew when to keep Kobashi from himself. Despite telling the roster not to bring him exercise equipment in the hospital, but to bring him porn instead, Misawa made sure that Kobashi when he was able to return to the ring was only booked in Tokyo to start with (and around Tokyo in the bigger cities) as he was on a special diet, which would have been hard to accommodate (back then) outside of the big cities, and medical help wasn't so easily got should anything go wrong. Kobashi himself was known to play the odd prank call on Misawa, and after Misawa's passing said that he felt that he was watching over him, and made a promise to both he and Baba, that he wouldn't break his word and return to the ring.