12 Ups & 6 Downs From NJPW Best Of The Super Juniors 2019
11. King Of The Undercard
New Japan tournament undercards are for the die-hards only. Keeping up with the tourney action is taxing enough and while fundamentally sound, the myriad non-BOSJ tags get tiresome. It isn't because they're bad (these things blow the average Raw/SmackDown bout of the water), but because there's rarely any meat on them as tournament wrestlers hold back ahead of their next big singles clash, though NJPW smartly use them to build heat between two Super Juniors competitors before they go one-on-one.
This tour's undercards provided one big exception to the usual "don't watch the tags" rule: Ring Of Honor bruiser Brody King, who worked harder than anyone else on almost every show he appeared on.
King was found supporting his Villain Enterprises associate Marty Scurll on the undercard while also accompanying him to the ring for the tournament proper. Brody worked with a chip on his shoulder, busting his backside like a man who fully understood the opportunity he'd been handed, his every performance bursting with heart, energy, and that all-important fighting spirit. Sometimes, that's all it takes to burst off the screen. He'll be back.