8 Ups & 6 Downs From NJPW King Of Pro-Wrestling 2019

1. Battle Ready

While Liger vs. Suzuki wasn't the match that was advertised, it was still a hard-hitting, kick*ss bout between two tough, gnarled old bastard, neither of whom wanted to give the other an inch.

Liger stomped out in Battle Liger garb: no wig, bare torso, different tights. Per Chris Charlton on commentary, this was the first time he'd donned this attire since he and Suzuki last faced off back in 2012. Both a great callback and a way to show that Liger was all-business at KOPW, it preceded a bout that began with a quick feeling out process but escalated when Liger spat at MiSu, then hit the deck, calling him into his guard.

What followed was a largely grapple-bastard bout that came unravelled on the outside, with the duo battering each other with broken chairs. Suzuki was a predator. Back inside, and after knocking Liger down with strike upon strike upon strike, he roared for the referee to "make him stand up." When Jushin did stand up, the bully Suzuki peppered him with mockingly soft slaps.

More torturous than explosive, the strikes were snug, the submissions tight, and the ending almost like an execution, as Suzuki put Liger away with a Gotch-Style Piledriver. Afterwards, MiSu threw away a steel chair, bowing, in reverence, to his felled opponent. They beat the piss out of each other in a manner mean enough to finish as KOPW's biggest highlight.